Child of Skadi
by MantaI-305Apollo'sChariot
Summary: When Crown Princess Elsa of Arendelle is born with magical ice powers, her parents are unnerved. As Elsa grows and realizes what she has, she turns into a sweet but rather mischievous toddler. Elsa's parents may genuinely care about her, but they're also scared of her and don't know what to do with her.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Thank you for clicking on my story!:)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen, obviously.**

 **While this story is on the same timeline as all my other Frozen stories, it is COMPLETELY stand-alone. Since Elsa is a baby, this is 'where everything began', so to speak. This story will probably be much shorter than my others, I think. I hope you like it.:)**

 **A special thanks to Mandy for mentioning the idea to write about Elsa's life before Anna was born.:)**

 **On to the story!**

"Agdar, there is something wrong with the baby," Idun repeated seriously for the umpteenth time. "I don't know what it is, but _something_ is wrong with it."

Agdar didn't even look up from his desk where he was working on a trade agreement. "Idun, this is our first child. Nothing is going to be wrong with him. He'll be fine. Gerda said babies often make a mother-to-be feel ill, remember?"

"I do not feel ill. The morning sickness is gone and has been for awhile, Agdar. Something is the matter, and I don't like it. And how do you know our baby will be a boy? It might be a little girl," Idun replied, frowning as she held one hand to her tummy. Soon after the misnamed 'morning sickness' had ceased (it had actually bothered her far more often than just in the mornings), Idun had begun to feel cold very easily. Always, always, the cold sensation began in her tummy. It wasn't painful, but it was unnerving to say the least. "You'll still love our baby if it's a girl, right?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course. I would just prefer a little boy," Agdar said truthfully. While he hoped that the baby would be a boy, he didn't mind the thought of a little crown princess instead of a prince. "Idun, please, I am busy. Go rest or eat something since you're maintaining two now."

Idun sighed and left.

* * *

A MONTH LATER…

"Gerda…it's…freezing…in here," Idun gasped again. She wished that baby would hurry up and come out already, even though it hadn't been due for another four weeks. Idun was still terrified that the baby would end up dying. What if it were sick? What if it couldn't breathe?

"Your majesty, it's nearly eighty degrees outside and the fire is going strong," Gerda told her. "There is nothing else I can do. I'm sorry. One more push and you and King Agdar should have a beautiful new prince or princess," she said, trying to stay calm. _I do not understand this…it must be ninety-plus degrees in here._

"It's a girl," Gerda announced a few minutes later, wrapping up the new princess in a warm blanket. "And yes, she is…alive," she assured the worried queen.

Idun stared at the baby, half in fright and half in excitement. _I don't feel cold anymore. What is wrong with my little girl?!_ "My baby…please," she whispered in exhaustion.

Gerda frowned as she handed the tiny baby to Idun. The little thing still hadn't made a sound, although she had immediately stuck her thumb in her mouth. _I hope there's nothing wrong with her…_ "What are you going to name her, Queen Idun?"

"Elsa. Her name is Elsa," Idun said softly. She thought her baby girl was absolutely perfect, despite the fact that baby Elsa was very, very skinny and that she looked so pale her skin was almost translucent. "Agdar…come look at her." _She's ours and we'll do everything we can to take care of her and make sure she isn't sickly._

Agdar did a double take when he noticed the baby's hair. Little Elsa had hair so light it was nearly white. _Platinum. Cold. What if….?!_ "Elsa is not Ingrid. She's not," he muttered to himself; then jerked his gaze toward Gerda to see if she had heard him. _Good, she didn't._ "May I hold her, please?" he asked his wife, who was still holding the tiny baby protectively in her arms.

Idun willingly handed Elsa to her husband as her eyes drifted shut. "Take…good care…of her…"

"Gerda, she can't be five pounds," Agdar commented worriedly as he cradled Elsa in his arms. "I don't know much about babies, but this one is too small. I know she is." _Elsa better not be sick. Or have other…problems._ He quickly handed the tiny girl back to Gerda a second later. "Gerda, fix my child. She isn't breathing now!"

Instantly Gerda laid the princess in the canopied cradle-crib thing, and then gently tickled her foot still hidden in the blanket. Little Elsa blinked up at Gerda and Agdar with big blue eyes and then promptly began crying a second later, trying to get that warm blanket off of her. "Shh, princess, your mommy's trying to sleep," Gerda said softly, rocking the cradle gently. "Well, King Agdar, it appears Princess Elsa can breathe just fine. She wouldn't be able to make all that noise otherwise. Also she is tiny because she was born early," she told the king.

Agdar frowned as he gently touched his daughter's head. The baby girl was downright freezing, although she had immediately calmed down once the blanket wasn't wrapped around her anymore. "Gerda…keep an eye on her for anything…unusual. I think Elsa might have something else the matter with her besides being born prematurely," Agdar told his trusted servant.

"Such as what, may I ask, your majesty? The princess appears normal for a newborn to me, and I have seen plenty of babies. She looks like an angel," Gerda said firmly. "Only thing the matter with Princess Elsa is that she's tiny. She'll grow and no one would ever be able to tell she was this little."

"I think you will know," Agdar said cryptically. _I don't want Elsa to be like Ingrid. She can't be._

* * *

"You are not going to have Elsa christened until she's a little bigger," Idun announced firmly a few days later. "She's far too little and I will not risk her getting sick. Gerda said premature babies are more susceptible to falling ill. So no. No, no, no." She held baby Elsa close and refused to release her. Idun was happy that Elsa had taken to nursing easily. Already the baby girl looked visibly healthier, although she was still pale, just not sickly so. Little Elsa had had a few more of the disturbing episodes of not breathing for a few seconds, but tickling her tiny feet always woke her up and prodded her into breathing properly again. (Idun and Gerda took turns watching her during the night.)

Agdar sighed. "Idun, Elsa's christening is on Sunday. That's six days from now. She'll be nearly two weeks old by then. If she continues like she's been doing, Elsa will be fine." _Hopefully._ Agdar hadn't seen anything odd from the baby girl, aside from disliking being too warm and becoming physically colder than she usually was when she cried, but he was worried that the older Elsa became, the more likely she would show…other things. "Idun, have you noticed anything…weird about Elsa?" he asked carefully.

"Just that she's cold all the time and seems happy about it," Idun replied. "Why?"

"I think she may have…something wrong with her," Agdar said awkwardly, forcing a smile at his wife. "Idun, look at her hair, for one thing. Her skin. I think she has a curse on her."

To Agdar's chagrin, Idun just laughed. "Agdar, what nonsense are you talking about?! One or both of us probably have a recessive gene for platinum hair. So what? And Gerda said Elsa is pale because she's a little preemie baby. I think that's what I'll call her regarding her being born early. She's a preemie." Idun paused and looked up at her husband, all laughing playfulness gone. "Agdar, what gave you the idea about a curse, for goodness sakes? How could a baby have a curse?"

"Not a curse, exactly. More like…magic. Idun, Elsa is cold _constantly_. And she likes it. Her little body is downright freezing when she cries," Agdar said quietly.

Idun considered that for a moment, remembering how the coldness she had felt abruptly disappeared after Elsa's birth. "Maybe Elsa's body temperature is just abnormal," she suggested. "Agdar, I don't think Elsa has magic. Wouldn't it be more obvious?" _Unless it hasn't shown up much because she was born too early,_ a little voice told her.

"I think we should get Raske to look at her," Agdar said finally. "Don't mention any of these suspicions to him, though. Let's just see what he says."

* * *

"The princess appears normal in every way, aside from her low body temperature," Dr. Raske told the worried king and queen. "I could not get a clear reading on the thermometer. It fluctuates up and down, although it always remains far below average. Would you permit a blood test? That could help to see if there is something wrong, perhaps."

Idun was about to say no the second Agdar said a firm yes. "Agdar, it'll scare her!" she hissed in Agdar's ear. "We don't even know if it will help!"

"It _might_ help," Agdar replied. "Idun, just hold Elsa still. That little baby won't cry unless she's too hot." Agdar had already noticed that Elsa was pretty quiet most of the time…unless someone put too many clothes or blankets on her.

Little Elsa remained completely quiet and cooperative until she felt something poking or pinching her. That hurt, so she screamed. It had frightened her more than anything else; it didn't hurt _too_ much; the baby girl just didn't understand why the big people she trusted would hurt her. Frost coated the needle and the skin on her arm where she'd been poked, and a few tiny snowflakes floated around her.

All three adults just stared at what Elsa had done. Raske recovered from the shock first and quickly bandaged the princess's arm, although it seemed that Elsa had stopped the bleeding herself with the frost. "Ah…King Agdar, Queen Idun…I think you have your answer. Princess Elsa has some sort of cold magic, evidently…I've heard rumors of such things being possible, but I always considered it to be most likely a legend. I suppose not," he said awkwardly. The doctor squinted as he held Elsa's blood sample up to the light. "She has tiny blue sparks in her blood. Look."

The nervous parents looked.

Elsa tried to tear the bandage off her arm; then just blinked up at her mother when her tiny fingers wouldn't cooperate.

"Elsa is a natural mage," Agdar said darkly.

"Elsa is still just our daughter," Idun replied firmly. _I will always keep you safe, Elsa._

 **A/N: Ack, I still think baby Elsa is adorable. :P**

 **I'm trying to make it clear that Agdar and Idun _do_ care about Elsa; they're just unnerved about the ice powers.:)**

 **Also I am very sorry if any of the birth/premature baby things are inaccurate. I did look things up and I think everything is okay, but still.:P**

 **Next chapter coming soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.:)**

 **Guest Rogue1479-Yay, new reader! I'm glad you liked it.:)**

 **CieloFede-Lol, baby Elsa is adorable no matter how one looks at it.:P (Well, to all us Frozen fans, anyways:)) Thank you. When I looked it up, I saw that as one of the issues preemie babies often have and I thought 'Well hey, for little Elsa, that could simply be her magic not quite developed yet'. :P (Which is also why newborn Elsa can't really do much with her magic.) I also still think grown-up Elsa is really slender too, and while I know lots of preemie babies grow up to be perfectly average-sized, perhaps being born early made her naturally tiny, period. Anyways...:) I'm glad you liked it!**

 **Unsophisticated Grace-That's okay; thank you.:) I think I still owe you PM's, btw...:P**

 **Guest-Thank you!**

 **Mandy-You're welcome! Well, it was partly your idea, so you deserve credit in my opinion.:) I think baby Elsa is cute, too.:P Well, in my mind, Idun was simply feeling cold because she's literally carrying a soon-to-be ice mage inside her. I don't know if feeling cold all the time leads to early child birth in real life or not (what I found talked about the baby potentially having lower IQ and motor issues and things like that). Sooo...real life aside, Idun was carrying a potentially freezing cold little body inside her, so that's why she was feeling cold.:P Argh, I HATE having blood taken. A lot. If whoever's doing it knows what they're doing, it doesn't hurt that much, but still *shudders* I kinda felt bad for doing that to little Elsa, but it seemed realistic, so in it went.:/ Yep, Agdar had suspicions that Elsa was an ice mage already, which I guess is both good and bad. Baby Elsa having issues with stopping her breathing for a few seconds is an actual thing-it's something I can't remember the name of that premature babies often have. If I understand correctly, they usually grow out of it. Since Elsa's parents don't have access to all the modern medical technology we do, I tried to make sure Elsa isn't so tiny that she probably wouldn't be able to survive in their world.:/**

 **Olivia O'Neil-Yep, Agdar and Idun aren't nasty Jórunna from 'No Escape'.:P Agdar just wants to "fix" Elsa; he doesn't hate her. Idun is a little more comfortable with the idea of Elsa's magic, but she still doesn't like it.:P**

 **Kurochach-I'm glad you liked it! I PM'ed you a short explanation of who Ingrid is, but you should find out enough info about her in this chapter anyway.:)**

 **On to the story!:) [SPECIAL NOTE: There are Christian themes in this chapter, so if you don't like that, please feel free to just skip this chapter.:)]**

"Agdar, you can't just ignore her like this! Elsa needs her daddy, too!" Idun exclaimed, trying for the umpteenth time since the doctor incident to get Agdar to hold baby Elsa.

"She's a baby. She won't know any better," Agdar said gruffly. "You can't tell me you even remotely like our daughter being born like that." _Maybe there's a way to get rid of it before Elsa gets older and realizes just what's wrong with her._

"Yes she will. Babies sense things; I know they do. She'll think you dislike her and she won't understand why. And no, I don't like Elsa having something strange we don't understand wrong with her, but she's still our daughter. Would you ignore her like this if she had been born disabled somehow?" Idun asked, holding Elsa close. Without waiting for a reply, she added, "Maybe there's a way to fix her, Agdar. Then Elsa can grow up…normal."

Agdar glanced at the tiny girl contentedly sucking on her thumb. _You will_ not _be like Ingrid,_ he thought to himself. "Maybe. I just want to know what we did to end up with a cursed child," he said gruffly. "Idun, do you think Ska∂i is real?" Agdar asked suddenly. "And yes, before you answer, I would have said anyone who asked such a thing was crazy if I hadn't seen what Elsa did."

Idun didn't answer her husband's question, but she looked worriedly down at Elsa as another thought popped into her head. "What if Elsa freezes the water at the christening tomorrow?"

"She can't do that. I haven't seen her produce any ice, let alone enough to freeze all the water at her christening. All she does is make a few snowflakes when she cries or screams and they go away when she's calm again. Oh yes, and that disturbing fluctuating body temperature of hers. All we have to do is keep her happy during the christening and we'll have no trouble," Agdar replied firmly. "And don't let anyone else hold her."

"Sometimes I'm afraid Elsa will hurt herself," Idun said softly. She had noticed that sometimes the baby girl seemed like an ice cube, she was so cold. "Agdar, can Elsa really be queen when she grows up? Who ever heard of a ruler of a country with strange magic?"

Agdar set his jaw and gently touched Elsa's head. "We will heal her before then. And if not, she will learn to hide it. It doesn't matter what's wrong with her as long as the public doesn't know about it. It's all about the image." Elsa opened her bright blue eyes just as her father added in a quieter voice, "You are smart, Elsa, I know you are. Don't you ever let anyone tell you there's something you can't do."

* * *

NEXT DAY…

"…I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen," Bishop Amundsen announced. "I present to y-"

Little Elsa squawked in protest. She wouldn't have minded getting all wet, but she thought the water was too warm. The water in the bowl turned to ice as her tiny fists had contact with it.

The bishop looked at the king and queen in alarm but proceeded with his announcement. "I present to you Elsa Ingrid Nicoletta Grieg, the Crown Princess of Arendelle."

Applause erupted from everyone in the chapel, and Elsa began crying because the noise was too loud. "Idun, take her out of here. Now," Agdar hissed in his wife's ear. "Just act like there's nothing wrong and take Elsa home with Gerda."

* * *

"Your majesty, what is the meaning of what happened earlier?" Bishop Amundsen asked the king the second the crowd had dispersed. "Did the princess…freeze the water? Pardon the question, if you please."

"Bishop Amundsen, I told you specifically, _cold_ water," Agdar replied with a sigh. "Princess Elsa hates hot water."

The bishop kept his expression neutral, but privately acknowledged the fact that Agdar hadn't really answered the question. "The water was merely warm, King Agdar. I did not wish to cause Princess Elsa distress by putting cold water on her."

Agdar frowned and just stared at the bishop. "That baby loves cold water. You nearly caused a large to-do because you didn't follow my instructions!" He paused for a moment, realizing that had been rude. "My apologies, Bishop Amundsen."

"Your majesty, was Princess Elsa born with…magic?" the bishop asked hesitantly, not wishing to insult the king. "I know she froze that water. It's summertime, King Agdar, and indoors. Water does not freeze by itself." He paused, knowing that if his suspicion was correct, Agdar probably was deathly afraid the baby girl would be branded a witch or something else horrible. "Your majesty, if the princess does indeed have magic, as I am deeply suspecting that she does, she's still not a witch or anything else of the sort. She is a two-week-old baby. Babies cannot practice witchcraft or make deals with the devil."

Agdar sighed, knowing that Bishop Amundsen would not drop the topic until he clarified the situation. _Also, I know Amundsen is a trustworthy gentleman. He will not spread rumors about Elsa, and he obviously hasn't branded her unholy or something._ "My wife claimed she was constantly feeling cold for months before Elsa was born. After Elsa was born…weeks too early, I might add…the cold feelings disappeared. Since the second she was born, Elsa has hated too many blankets or anything else on her. She gets downright freezing when she cries, and she makes snowflakes. We took her to the royal physician, and he couldn't find anything medically wrong with her except an abnormally low body temperature that she evidently can't regulate very well. When we had a blood sample taken, Elsa made frost on the needle and her arm. She has tiny blue sparks in her blood. I don't know what to do with her, Bishop Amundsen."

The bishop was silent for a minute as he considered what Agdar had told him. "One thing is certain, King Agdar, and that is that Princess Elsa is completely innocent. Please do not take out your frustration or fear or anything else on her, I beg of you. I have no idea if something or someone cursed her or if that is even possible. But I know you would not have voluntarily admitted that the princess has magic if you had done something to cause it. That means you and the queen are innocent as well. Perhaps Princess Elsa's magic is a gift from heaven, for all we know. Maybe she has a special job to do."

"Excuse me, but that sounds even more unlikely than a curse," Agdar replied, frowning. "If that were true, wouldn't the magic have been given to her when she was older? So that she would know exactly what she has and why. It just seems ridiculous…" He paused; then asked, "Do you suppose that there is a way to cure her?"

"I have no idea, your majesty. I do have one thing that might help…wait here."

Agdar waited rather impatiently and nearly rolled his eyes when the bishop came back and handed him a book. "How will this help?"

"Legend says there is a valley filled with rock trolls that know a good deal about magic and curses and the like. Before you ask, the reason I have this book is because it was given to the church about a hundred and fifty years ago 'because of a great tragedy' and that 'it is to be given to the next ice-wielder's parents'. The legend has been passed down since then. I always believed it to be just that-a legend and tradition. But it appears I was wrong. The book is for you to keep." Bishop Amundsen did not smile, but he looked the king straight in the eyes as he added sincerely, "Princess Elsa is welcome in the church. Whatever physical differences she has do not matter."

 _A hundred and fifty years ago?! That has something to do with Ingrid!_ Agdar had only a small amount of knowledge regarding his family's ancestor, but the knowledge he did have was tragic. He refused to let Elsa end up the same way. "Thank you, sir. I will read this thoroughly."

* * *

That evening, Agdar stayed awake late into the night reading the book the bishop had given him. It contained not only information about the legendary trolls; it contained Ingrid's story in more detail than he had heard before, although he was almost completely positive that this still wasn't even close to the whole story. He had known Ingrid had had ice powers. He had known that she had constructed that mysterious cell in the castle dungeon for herself and that she had eventually committed suicide. But that was it.

He hadn't truly realized that Ingrid didn't sound anything like a bad person. It sounded more like she had been a victim rather than the villain, at least according to this book. When Agdar was a boy, he had been told the little information the royal family of Arendelle knew of Ingrid by his own father. "She's a missing piece of history," he remembered his father saying. "You should attempt to research her more." Agdar had immediately said that he wanted nothing to do with such a venture, _ever_ , because the very idea of real magic made him uncomfortable. It still made him uncomfortable, but since his own daughter had been born…defective, then he wanted to know more so he could help her and fix her. The selfish bit of him wanted to just have another baby and hope that one would be normal. "What am I thinking?! I'll not just…throw Elsa away like she's nothing. She's my _daughter_ ," he reminded himself. Agdar jumped when he heard his wife's voice.

"What did you just say?!" Idun demanded, her voice shaking. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing, Idun. Go back to bed," Agdar replied in a carefully rehearsed neutral tone.

"Why did you have the need to say 'I'll not just throw Elsa away like she's nothing'? What were you thinking?" Idun asked, tears starting to fill her eyes at the implications that phrase said. "In fact, why are you up so late? Are you…are you looking for a loophole to get rid of Elsa or something?"

Agdar was horrified. "Of course not! I don't want to get rid of Elsa. What I was thinking was that the selfish part of me wants to just have another baby and hope that one comes out normal. Idun, I promise you I don't want to get rid of Elsa. I only want to heal her," he said truthfully.

Idun still looked dubious, and she abruptly turned her back and stalked off back to her room. The second she saw Elsa sleeping peacefully in her crib-cradle, she scooped the baby girl up and just held her close, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I love you, Elsa…I just wish you weren't born like this…but you're still _my_ little girl," she whispered, not caring that Elsa wasn't old enough to understand all that yet.

Gerda frowned as she heard Idun's words. "Pardon me, my queen, but you make it sound like Princess Elsa is messed up in some way. Not only would having some sort of disability not make her 'messed up', she technically has an extra ability, not a missing one," she said matter-of-factly. "Being upset isn't going to change her, so I think you may as well be happy with her just as she is and be grateful that she's healthy enough even though she was born early."

* * *

SIX WEEKS LATER…

"Idun, take Elsa to the doctor-yes, again, before you say anything-and see if he can extract those blue sparks from her blood. That should cure Elsa, if it works," Agdar said firmly one evening.

Idun frowned and just clutched Elsa tightly. "Absolutely not! I don't care if you are the king, I am not taking poor Elsa to the doctor yet again. You've made me take her every single week. All but one of those times you told Dr. Raske to take another blood sample because you're hoping the blue sparks are gone. Let's see, you've also tried to melt the cold out of her by wrapping her up in blankets near a fire, which she hated and just seemed to strengthen her strange magic all the more. Agdar, we're going to end up making her sick. Elsa is a little bigger now, yes, but she's still tiny. She's barely six pounds. And before you say she should have weighed more than that at birth, she was just over four pounds then. That's why you thought she was so little." Idun frowned, remembering the multiple times Elsa had frosted her arm and the needle. The baby girl did it every single time she had had her blood taken. What was different was that every time, Elsa made a little bit more frost. The last time, it had been almost enough to be considered actual ice. She'd also done it _before_ she had been poked, which told Idun that Elsa had pieced together that skinny metal sharp thing meant being poked in the arm.

Agdar frowned as he watched Elsa happily sucking on her fingers, her big blue eyes just blinking at him. He still thought Elsa looked too pale and too skinny, but she was still his _daughter_. Elsa hadn't asked to be born abnormal and too early. "All right, we'll wait until she's three months old. She'll be bigger and stronger by then," he said finally. "I don't want Elsa sick, either. I just want to cure her."

 **A/N: Yes, Elsa froze the water at her christening. The reason nobody except the bishop noticed is because Elsa froze the water in the _bowl,_ not the air. So nobody could see what Elsa did.:P**

 **Elsa is two months old now and she's still tiny, although she is growing.:)**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**

 **P.S. I'm still working on the first chapter to the sequel to 'Changing Family Tides', so that will be coming sometime soon as well.:)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing:)**

 **Unsophisticated Grace-No, I would not mind that at all.:P You'll probably dislike him more after this chapter...:P I agree, too much heat is _horrible_. I can just imagine it would be a lot worse for Elsa since she has ice powers.:/ Agdar SHOULD realize that, but right now all he sees is that little Elsa has magic.:/ I'm glad you like it!:)**

 **Olivia O'Neil-Those blue sparks are part of the reason Elsa physically can't lose her powers. They're literally flowing through her.:) I'm glad you like the bishop, and yes, there will be a bit more about the book. And the new story is 'Take Charge', but I think you already know that.:P :)**

 **raven678-I'm glad you like it!:) Agdar doesn't understand Elsa and thinks she's abnormal, hence why he called her that.:/**

 **QueenofIcelandia-I PMed you, so I won't make you reread the same thing here.:)**

 **Shadowfax321-Yeah, Agdar does not hate Elsa...he's just not really fair to her.:/**

 **BellaCullen931-Thank you, and I'm glad you like it.:) Yes, Ingrid is an ancestor, and yes, there will be a bit more about her later on.:)**

 **Elsa Tomago-The reason why Agdar didn't say "both" WILL be addressed, promise.:) And I PMed you my other reply, so...yeah:P :)**

 **DodgersGirl-I'm glad you like it. Little Elsa just needs someone to love and take care of her, that's all.:) That's okay:) I hope you feel better ASAP!**

 **On to the story!:)**

TWO MONTHS LATER…

"Queen Idun, milady, the princess is still a tiny little thing, even though she's perfectly healthy now," Gerda said, frowning. "Trying to take those mysterious blue sparks away from her could really hurt her. What if her body simply requires the magic to survive? Also, Princess Elsa might get sick."

"I managed to get Agdar to wait this long, but he won't wait anymore. And I think Elsa knows she has that magic now," Idun said worriedly. "She always looks exceedingly pleased with herself after producing snowflakes or something, although I don't think she consciously controls it. We _have_ to do something. Elsa can't grow up like that. She can't." _What if it gets out of control when she's older?_ "What if people judge her for being…different?" Idun asked, holding the baby girl close. "What if she grows up sad and lonely because she thinks no one likes her?"

"Isn't judging her the very thing you and the king are doing?" Gerda asked, knowing that was probably out of line for her to say. "I am sorry, your majesty, but Princess Elsa is just a child. She will never believe something like that if she's cared for properly. I think she'll just need extra love and care, perhaps. Besides, she's going to be a little kid with magic. Isn't that pretty much every child's dream? To be special?"

Idun sighed. "Maybe Agdar's plan will work and Elsa won't have to grow up different at all," she said quietly. "The other issue is that she seems so…serious. Focused, somehow. Watch this." Idun shook the small mobile dangling above the crib-cradle.

Elsa's big blue eyes immediately focused on her favorite stuffed shape in the mobile, the ice-blue star. She batted at it with one hand, and her little face scrunched up in frustration as it bounced out of reach. The baby girl just lay still for a few seconds, as if concentrating; then reached both hands toward the star and made a contented sound when she succeeded in grabbing it. But she still didn't smile, even though she was obviously happy.

"She does that over and over, always with the star, none of the other stuffed shapes. Watch." Idun shook her head as the baby princess let go of the star a few seconds later and then repeated her experiment. "Do you think there's something wrong with her? She's only four months old…she shouldn't be so serious all the time…" Idun jumped back in alarm when Elsa abruptly managed to roll herself onto her tummy and proceeded to put tiny frosty handprints all over the headboard of the crib, looking quite pleased with herself.

Gerda honestly thought Elsa's antics were perfectly normal considering the baby girl had her strange magic. "Queen Idun, what the princess is doing is harmless. She's just playing," she said quietly. "And I do not think there's anything wrong with Princess Elsa. Being focused like that is probably just part of her personality. May I hold her?" When Idun nodded, Gerda scooped Elsa up and just held her protectively in her arms. "Really, your majesty, Princess Elsa is just darling. Look at her. She's beautiful." Gerda sighed when the queen excused herself and said she would be back in a few minutes. _Elsa_ will _always have someone to love and take care of her. I will make sure of it._ "Princess Elsa, you'll grow up different and unique. Some people might not like that, but I swear I will always be there for you if you need someone," she said softly. Gerda smiled as she noticed that while Elsa was still pale and slender, her little body did finally have some meat on it now. She wasn't just skin and bones anymore, and she had surprisingly dark eyelashes, despite her fair coloring otherwise. "I think you just need someone to give you a chance, princess."

* * *

"King Agdar, I do not think that is going to work," Dr. Raske repeated again that afternoon. "Do you really want to risk me making your baby daughter sick? The princess is already in danger simply because she was born early. Your wife told me Princess Elsa still doesn't consistently breathe properly in her sleep, although she's much better. None of us know how her magic works or where it came from; it might be something she physically needs to survive. I have no idea." He paused before continuing, "Princess Elsa has already had so many blood samples taken. She's going to get anemic, if nothing else. Your idea means a much larger sample would need to be tested. I will _not_ conduct an experiment like that on her without knowing the results first. Besides, how will removing the blue sparks help? The magic is literally flowing through her if it's in her blood. It probably isn't meant to be separated from her."

Agdar kept his expression neutral as he remembered what he had read in the book the bishop had given him. _He_ had given poor Elsa that accursed magic; it ran in his bloodline. Idun hadn't done that. He did, because Ingrid was his own great-great grandmother. The book had suggested the reader to seek out the mysterious legendary trolls, but Agdar did not want to do that. _I will not seek out even more magic to get rid of magic. It probably wouldn't even work. Raske can fix Elsa. It's not Elsa's fault; she's just a baby. But she can't live like that. I don't even want her to…_ "Dr. Raske, just do it. If Elsa falls ill, you can just tell us what to do for her."

"Your majesty, _please_ rethink this," Gerda said again from the doorway. "What if this risks Princess Elsa's life?"

Agdar's expression didn't change; he merely said, "Gerda, I will thank you to stop meddling in business that isn't your concern."

Elsa instantly began crying when she spotted the needle and swung one of her tiny fists at it. She missed, but she'd also thrown snow across the room.

Agdar's eyes went wide and he held the baby out at arm's length, nervous what other things she would end up doing.

Little Elsa screamed and struggled, trying to get her daddy to put her down. She didn't understand exactly what was going on, just that the shiny silver thing would hurt her and that her daddy was willing to approve of doing so. She wanted to get away from this place. Maybe if she couldn't see it, it wouldn't bother her anymore. Elsa spotted Gerda and reached for her instead. That grown-up held her and fed her and talked to her.

"Elsa, stop this right now!" Agdar ordered, as if saying that would make Elsa listen. The baby girl merely looked at him quizzically and stopped struggling for a moment, her blue eyes wide in fright. Agdar frowned and practically dropped the baby into Gerda's arms the second the doctor had gotten the blood sample from Elsa's little arm. "Get Elsa out of here," he said quietly. "I don't want to see the mess she makes anymore." _Did I scare Elsa? She's only four months old…she doesn't know any better, does she?_

* * *

Gerda shook her head the second she was out of sight in the hallway. She hated seeing Elsa frightened for absolutely no reason, but there was nothing she could do. She had no authority as to what the king and queen did with their baby. _Perhaps there is one thing I can do…suggest Elsa gets a nursery all her own. King Agdar shouldn't care; it would mean he doesn't have to even see her most of the time. I can take care of her._ Gerda frowned at Elsa as she carried her upstairs; the baby girl was still crying, her fingers scrabbling at her bandaged arm in confusion. "Shh, princess, it's over now. I know it might still be sore. Let's give you something else to think about, hmm?" Despite the fact that Gerda was sure Elsa did not understand everything she was saying, she figured simply talking to her might help Elsa feel better and probably teach her to recognize words and talk more easily once she was old enough to do so.

Elsa's crying ceased and she left her arm alone as Gerda laid her down on a fluffy blanket spread on the carpet. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and made no effort to roll herself over onto her tummy. This was nice. The blanket was warm, but it didn't feel all nastily suffocating, either. Perfect. Her blue eyes followed Gerda's hand as she watched Gerda hold her favorite blue star over her head and set it down a little ways out of reach off to the side.

Just as Gerda had hoped, little Elsa flopped herself over on her tummy and then tried to reach for the stuffed toy that had been detached from the mobile. After trying and failing a few times, the princess's face scrunched up in concentration as she tried to crawl towards it. No such luck. "Try again, princess," Gerda said quietly, not wanting the baby girl to give up. If Elsa couldn't get the star on her own soon, Gerda decided she would just give it to her. Elsa didn't need to feel like not being able to do something was bad. Somehow Gerda was absolutely sure little Elsa was much smarter than her parents, especially her father, were willing to give her credit for.

Elsa looked like she was about to give up, but then she seemed to suddenly have a New Plan to reach the toy, and she simply rolled towards it. That she knew how to do. She gave Gerda a very obvious smile and giggled as she clutched the star in her fist. A few tiny snowflakes bounced around her, and Elsa grabbed at them, unknowingly making more.

Gerda scooped Elsa up and began dancing around the room with her. Elsa's giggles ceased, but her slightly lopsided smile remained as she went limp in Gerda's arms. "I don't understand why your daddy doesn't like you, Princess Elsa," she said softly. "You're absolutely perfect just like you are. Don't forget that. You _are_ loved." Just to accentuate her point, Gerda hugged the tiny girl gently before laying her down in her crib.

Elsa held her toy up towards the mobile, wanting Gerda to put it back on for her. She did not cry; she merely blinked up at Gerda with those big blue eyes of hers.

"Of course, princess." Gerda easily recognized what Elsa wanted.

Idun walked in just then and frowned, noticing the temperature in the room was ever so slightly cooler than usual. "Has Elsa caused any…trouble?" she asked hesitantly. "She probably needs to nurse again…"

"No, the princess was no trouble whatsoever. She may have wanted her mother when King Agdar took her to the doctor, though," Gerda replied, trying to get the point across that Elsa needed her real parents to care for her.

Idun frowned and shook her head as she picked Elsa up. "I told Agdar not to do that to her. It's ridiculous. I don't like her this way either, but it definitely isn't worth risking her health over," she said firmly. "Elsa, sweetie, are you hungry?" she asked the baby.

Elsa didn't respond; her blue eyes had drifted shut and she'd already fallen asleep.

* * *

Two days later, Agdar went to ask Dr. Raske what he had discovered. "Did you find a way to cure Elsa?" he asked hopefully.

Dr. Raske only stared at him, trying his best not to look disgusted. "Yes, if you don't mind killing the poor girl in the process," he replied in a flat voice. "King Agdar, you have heard of centrifuging a liquid to get its components to separate, correct?"

Agdar nodded. "The magic can be removed by doing that?"

"No. With normal blood, it separates into three sections with different components in each one. I would have assumed that the magic would either settle in one of those sections or have one of its own, but that isn't the case. With Princess Elsa's blood, those normal three sections appeared, but the blue sparks still appear equally throughout. It's the strangest phenomenon I've ever seen. I thought since it was magic relating to cold, heat might affect it. Well, it did." The doctor paused, wondering how to explain what had happened. "I heated the sample. At first, its temperature didn't even change at all, which was weird in of itself. But eventually, the sample completely disintegrated. _Completely_ disintegrated."

"So putting Elsa under heat will cure her then," Agdar said.

"Your majesty, the heat didn't disintegrate the magic. It disintegrated your daughter's blood entirely because the magic couldn't tolerate the heat. You cannot separate that magic from her. You'll kill her," Raske said, absolutely certain that what he was saying was the truth. He hesitated before looking his employer straight in the face. "If you do something that ends up killing that child, I swear I will tell everyone what you did and why. You may have the authority to fire me or execute me, but I refuse to support anyone who abuses his own daughter like that, royal family or not. That is _wrong._ "

Agdar's expression grew devastated, and the doctor added, "I am sorry, your majesty. As of now, I will keep your secret. I just don't want Princess Elsa to be…hurt," he said sincerely.

"I know. I will figure out something else."

 **A/N: So yes, Elsa is four months old now and she has some clear likes and dislikes.:)**

 **And she can't lose her magic and it can't be taken away from her. If you've read another one of my stories where Elsa felt too warm and cooled herself off, remember she's a lot older when she can do that. Right now she's a little baby, and her magic isn't anywhere near as strong as it is when she's twenty-one.:)**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing:)**

 **raven678-I think baby Elsa is adorable, too.:) And yes, Agdar is being selfish.:/**

 **Shadowfax321-I'll say right now little Elsa is _not_ going to die. This is staying canon-compliant (other than the fact that Elsa's birthday is in the summer).:)**

 **Olivia O'Neil-Thank you:) Yay, sounds like all your reactions to the characters are exactly what I intended.:)**

 **BellaCullen931-I think Elsa was probably a smart baby, but she also probably took a bit longer than average to do other things, like walking/talking/etc.:) Well, Gerda loves Elsa just the way she is, and her parents don't-they want her to be "normal". And she's just plain not. I thought the doctor would stand up for Elsa simply because of the principle of the thing. Little Elsa is a _baby_ ; she's helpless to stop the way adults might treat her, and that's wrong. She can't even speak up for herself yet.:/**

 **Elsa Tomago-Agdar is stupid, and his idea of helping Elsa is "fixing" her, which means poor Elsa ends up getting treated like an experiment.:/ But yes, little Elsa has Gerda there for her.:)**

 **On to the story!:)**

"King Agdar, I was wondering if perhaps the princess could have a nursery of her own? She could have her own space and you wouldn't have to see her much if you didn't want to," Gerda said. _Please say yes…please say yes._

"That's fine; I don't care. I won't have to hear her crying and making the room cold at night," Agdar replied, frowning at the baby in Gerda's arms.

Elsa remained asleep and didn't react in any way.

Gerda nodded politely, said thank you, and quickly carried Elsa back upstairs. _Good. I thought that might work._

* * *

About three weeks later, Idun anxiously shook Gerda awake. The two of them still took turns watching baby Elsa during the night. Although Elsa slept longer now-she usually only woke up crying once during the night because she was hungry-she still would stop breathing sometimes in her sleep, although she did that far less often now. "Gerda, she's sneezing and coughing," Idun hissed. "I don't know what to do with her. She won't nurse and she seems…grumpy somehow. She won't stop crying, either." _Elsa usually quiets down really quickly once someone picks her up and just holds her or feeds her…what's going on?_

Gerda sighed and gently took Elsa from her mother's arms. Elsa had her hands balled into fists and they were covered with frost. Her cheeks were flushed and she felt warmer than usual. "Princess Elsa has a fever, at least compared to the way she usually is," Gerda said quietly. "She's sick." _I told them they were going to make her sick. Elsa is still so little…what if she can't fight off whatever's made her sick on her own?_

Elsa continued crying, although she was limp all over otherwise. "Gerda, do you think music or singing might help?" Idun asked hopefully. Quite honestly, except for her magic and the inconsistent breathing in her sleep, little Elsa was very easy to care for in Idun's opinion. She was usually quiet; she consistently slept and ate well; she didn't seem to cry 'for no reason' or anything. Idun had never had trouble soothing Elsa before, so she hadn't needed to try calming music or anything. _It can't hurt anyways…_ Idun walked back and forth across the room and began singing quietly, " _So ro liten tull, gid vi hadde stua full, ut av slike små unger. Stua og koven, løa og låven, og en liten haug utpå gården. Sleep in peace, little one, I wish we had a room full of these little kids... The living room and the bedroom, the shed and the barn, and a small pile out on the farm…"_ Idun frowned, knowing deep inside she did _not_ want another child like Elsa. She wanted Elsa to be normal.

Elsa continued crying, although she did seem at least slightly interested in her mother's singing.

A few minutes later, Elsa still hadn't stopped crying, and both Idun and Gerda jumped when they heard the door to the nursery open. "Put that baby down. You're just encouraging her crying. If you don't leave her be, she'll do that all night," Agdar said firmly. "She can sleep by herself and cry it out."

Idun hesitated; sure, nothing seemed to be helping, but the baby girl was sick and she was still little. How would leaving her alone help?

Gerda frowned. "Your majesty, the princess can't be left alone during the night…she still doesn't breathe right in her sleep consistently. She might suffocate or something."

"Elsa isn't going to suffocate…she breathes just fine. She must, or she wouldn't be able to make all this noise. You two go to bed. Elsa stays here in her nursery and that's that." Agdar took Elsa from Idun and just laid her in her crib. Elsa cried louder when she heard the door shut, and snowflakes began floating around her. She didn't understand anything of what was going on, just that she felt yucky and everyone had left her alone. Maybe she had done something wrong. She wanted someone to hold her and fix whatever had made her feel yucky. Elsa heard footsteps out in the hall and hoped one of the grown-ups would come back for her. "Eh…da?" she said in a questioning way.

After a few seconds with no response, Elsa cried all the more. She _knew_ there was someone out there and the someone wouldn't come. And her daddy had left her in here.

* * *

"King Agdar, she's not quite five months old yet!" Gerda protested. "We can't just leave her alone, even if she wasn't sick. Princess Elsa won't understand and she'll think she did something bad."

"She _is_ doing something bad-crying like that for so long for no reason!" Agdar retorted. "Leave her alone," he said firmly. "Both of you are forbidden to go in there until morning. Elsa needs to learn to calm herself down. Besides, she's a baby; she's not going to really think she did something bad."

Idun frowned and looked back at the door to the nursery. She could still hear Elsa's cries and it made her feel sick. Even if Elsa wouldn't sleep at all whether anyone was with her or not, wouldn't it be better if she at least had someone there with her?

A few seconds passed with no one saying anything, and it abruptly grew eerily quiet. "See, she stopped crying already," Agdar said triumphantly.

* * *

Gerda waited until the king and queen had disappeared into their room before silently easing the nursery door open. As long as Elsa stayed quiet, no one would come to the nursery until morning, and by then Agdar's order would be invalid anyway. _I will not leave little Elsa alone._ She frowned when she saw Elsa; a thin layer of snow lay around her, and she was still crying, even though she was no longer making any noise. _You didn't stop crying; you just stopped making noise,_ Gerda thought to herself. _That is_ not _a good sign. Babies are supposed to make noise when they're upset._ She hesitantly reached into the crib and picked Elsa up, keeping only a light blanket wrapped around her so she wouldn't get too hot. "You're fine, princess. You didn't do anything wrong," Gerda whispered, not liking the fact that Elsa's little body was trembling all over. She was very sure that Elsa wasn't physically cold; she was just upset.

"Eh…da?" Elsa said questioningly. She still felt yucky, but Gerda had come back for her. Gerda was _holding_ her. Maybe only her daddy thought she was bad, she wasn't sure. "Eh…da," Elsa repeated, sounding slightly happier that time.

 _Is she trying to say_ my _name? Elsa actually knows and understands that?_ Gerda thought incredulously. The fact that Elsa was making syllable sounds didn't surprise Gerda at all, but it did surprise her that Elsa seemed to be making those specific sounds on purpose. Technically she had never heard Elsa try to make any sort of syllable sounds; the baby girl was usually very quiet. She would just giggle and coo a bit if she were very happy and content, or cry if she was upset somehow. Other than that, Elsa didn't "say" anything. Gerda pointed to herself and said her own name. "Gerda," she whispered. Then she pointed at Elsa. "Elsa," Gerda added softly.

Elsa looked confused for a moment, but then her blue eyes seemed to light up in understanding. So her initial understanding was correct. "Eh-da," she said again. "Eh…ah. Eh…ah?" Elsa couldn't say her own name, although she did recognize it when Gerda said it. "Eh..la. El. El-ah," she tried again. Elsa somehow decided that whatever was making her feel yucky was not fixable immediately. It must not have been, because she trusted that Gerda would fix her if it was possible to do so. Elsa gave up with trying to say the names and quickly fell asleep.

Gerda sighed in relief and didn't even try to put Elsa back in her crib. She just held the baby girl securely in her arms the rest of the night. _I knew Elsa was smart. I wonder if this was a one-time thing for her or if she'll continue trying to talk already. She's way too young to be starting that now._

* * *

Elsa stayed sick for over a week and grew languid and skinnier than usual, much to everyone's concern. After that first night being left alone, Elsa always grew tense and scared when Agdar tried to hold her, and she wasn't entirely comfortable if Idun held her, either. Only Gerda had managed to keep the baby girl's trust entirely, and Gerda was very sure it was from being the one who had come back for her that first night. The other difference was that Elsa's cries would abruptly grow quiet if Agdar was in the room. She didn't stop crying, but she would stop making the least bit of noise. Elsa didn't know it, but her reaction had thoroughly convinced her father that leaving her alone _was_ the solution.

Dr. Raske hated seeing Elsa sick; he partially blamed himself for it. Maybe he had let those tests go way too far before that final one. "She has strep throat," he told Gerda four days after Elsa had first fallen sick. "We don't have anything to cure that. I've heard antibiotics exist for it, but I neither know what they are nor where to acquire it. It'll have to just run its course…if she gets any worse, please feel free to bring her back."

Gerda hesitated before asking about the reactions she had noticed from Elsa. "King Agdar forced the queen and I to leave Princess Elsa alone the first night she was sick because she wouldn't stop crying…he said she needed to 'cry it out'…now the princess cries silently whenever he's near her, and she also gets scared if he tries to hold her. That first night I disobeyed orders and went back in the nursery to tend to her, and I swear she was trying to say my name, and then hers when I told it directly to her. But she hasn't talked in any way since."

"Well, right now her throat hurts and she probably doesn't _want_ to make noise. But besides that, King Agdar most likely traumatized the poor thing by doing that, even though he probably didn't mean to," Raske said quietly. "The sad part is that since she did produce the desired outcome-to stop making noise-I'm sure he genuinely believes he's doing the right thing." He smiled as he glanced at Elsa. "I don't entirely buy that she was trying to say names-she's awfully young for that. But it wouldn't surprise me if she does indeed know what your name and hers are. I've seen the varied expressions she makes and the way she does certain actions very carefully and deliberately…I think Princess Elsa is smart. But I don't think she's ready to talk yet."

"Oh, I _know_ she's smart," Gerda replied with great certainty. She gave little Elsa a kiss on the head and just held her tightly. "She's a sweet little thing, too. I would be very, very happy if she were _my_ daughter."

By Christmas, Elsa seemed to have at least mostly recovered from her illness, although Gerda still watched her carefully for any more sneezing or coughing.

* * *

THREE MONTHS LATER…

"Agdar, look!" Idun exclaimed. "She's sitting by herself now!" She had been worried little Elsa wasn't learning to do certain things quick enough, but she'd asked the doctor and he had told the worried queen that Elsa was probably just taking longer because she'd been born early.

What Elsa _had_ easily learned was more about her magic. Now eight months old, she could easily conjure a snowflake between her palms whenever she chose, and she could also purposely put sheens of ice over things, not just frost. (That she did whenever someone tried to make her do something she did not want to do.) Elsa still disliked too much heat, and she hated going anywhere near the infirmary. The normally quiet baby would instantly begin screaming and crying if she thought someone was taking her in there. She could consistently breathe properly while she slept now, too.

And Elsa was still frightened of her daddy holding her. She would allow him to hold her, but her blue eyes would always go wide in fright and she would silently cry. Now she did the same as Agdar picked her up. "Elsa, can't you stop this?" he asked sincerely. _Why does she constantly do this? She doesn't cry if Gerda or Idun holds her. She even let Kai hold her, although I could tell she wasn't comfortable. Can't she learn normal things like other babies and not just play with her…magic all the time?_ Agdar narrowed his eyes at Elsa when she held out her snowflake and gave him a hopeful look. "No, Elsa, don't do that."

Instantly the snowflake was dropped on the floor and the baby girl went limp, but she did not make any noise. Elsa spotted her blue stuffed bear lying on the carpet and tried to reach for it. Already Elsa had a clear preference for the color blue; the adults decided that was probably because of her magic. Agdar put Elsa down on her tummy, and she pulled herself over to the bear, hugged it, and began chewing on it.

"No, no, Elsa, don't chew your bear," Idun scolded. She didn't take the bear away, but she offered Elsa a cold wet washcloth to chew on instead, knowing the baby girl was probably teething now.

Elsa kept one arm wrapped around her bear and held the washcloth with the other. Upon deciding that the wet washcloth was supposed to be cold….and was most definitely not cold enough, she froze it solid and stuck it in her mouth contentedly. She spotted Gerda standing off to the side and decided it was safe to try something. Hopefully. "Ith," she announced proudly, trying to say 'ice', but not quite succeeding.

"Agdar, do _not_ take it away from her," Idun said firmly, noticing her husband had made a very disapproving face. She picked Elsa up and just held her, hoping Elsa wouldn't decide to freeze anything else.

"Babies' first words are supposed to be 'mama' or 'dada' or 'papa', not 'ice'!"

Elsa's big blue eyes lit up when she heard her daddy say the word she had been trying to say. "Ith!" she repeated. Elsa's little face scrunched up in disappointment when she realized Agdar was _not_ happy with her word. Maybe it was because she couldn't say the 's' sound properly. "Ith?" Elsa asked hopefully. No, maybe she should have stayed quiet. Her daddy didn't like her making noise, and she didn't want to be left alone again.

Idun turned her back on her husband and looked at Elsa. "Yes, that's ice, Elsa. Ice is bad. Let's not make any more, sweetie," she said softly. _Does she understand…?_

Elsa decided that she had understood wrong. Ice could not be bad; it made her mouth feel a bit better. And ice was fun. She liked playing with her magic. Elsa dropped the washcloth and then made her snowflake again and offered it to her mother.

Idun sighed. "No, sweetie, don't do that."

Agdar grabbed Elsa from his wife, knowing exactly what the baby girl was doing. "Don't encourage it, Idun. She does it enough already." He put Elsa back in her crib and just walked out without another word.

* * *

Elsa blinked in confusion when she saw both Gerda and Idun looking down at her. Had she done something bad? No, they were smiling at her. She looked at Gerda. "Eh-da," she said. Then she looked at Idun. "Mama." Those words she had known already; she just didn't say them. Making noise made her get in trouble and the grown-ups would leave her all alone. Elsa thought for a moment and then said, "El-tha," and pointed to herself.

"You talked! Elsa, you talked!" Idun exclaimed proudly. "Gerda, she knows how to say four words already!" She scooped Elsa up and hugged her close. _I wonder what else she knows how to say and just…chooses not to. There's no way Elsa randomly learned four words, three of which are names. She's known those for awhile, I know she has._

Elsa giggled and repeated her words since it had made her mommy happy. "Ith, Eh-da, Mama, El-tha!" she said again. "Ith, Eh-da, Mama, El-tha!" She saw her father standing in the doorway and almost instantly went silent. "Ith?"

Gerda frowned when she realized just what Elsa had done. _She won't talk in front of her own father. That's why she's never said_ anything _around him, and made very little noise around her mother. Not because she's not ready to talk yet._ "Queen Idun, may I hold the princess?" she asked quietly. The second Elsa was in Gerda's arms, she marched right up to the king and just said, "Your daughter is scared of you." Gerda held Elsa securely and whispered in her ear, "Say something, Princess Elsa. You are safe. I know you understand. Maybe not everything, but some."

"Papa," Elsa mouthed, looking up at her father, although she made no audible sound. Then she immediately hid her face against Gerda's dress.

"What's wrong with her?" Agdar demanded.

"Do you really want to know, your majesty?" Gerda asked, knowing the real reason was going to make Agdar angry. When Agdar immediately nodded, Gerda explained. "That horrid idea of leaving Princess Elsa alone when she was sick and the way you always treat her has made her frightened of making any noise around you, King Agdar. She's just a child; she can't deal with someone who's supposed to love her treating her like that."

"Treating her like what?" Agdar looked genuinely puzzled.

"Treating her like she's annoying, damaged, and not good enough," Gerda said firmly. "And I still believe all those tests are what made her sick back in December. Your majesty, I mean no disrespect, but you're hurting her. Princess Elsa _needs_ you to love her. She _will_ be 'damaged'-inside-if you don't stop."

 **A/N: So...Elsa's now 8 months old; she's a bit slow at motor development, but she can do more with her magic and she understands quite a bit of what's going on around her and she can talk a bit now.:)**

 **Next chapter coming soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.**

 **Unsophisticated Grace-I will not object.:P That's okay and I'm glad you liked it.:)**

 **Olivia O'Neil-Agdar doesn't understand because he's prejudiced and stupid. I'm glad Elsa has Gerda (even though I wrote Elsa's world that way, lol) too.:) She really needs some TLC.:) I'm sure I'd be wary of Elsa's powers, too, but I wouldn't think there was something wrong with her because of it.:/ She just needs to be allowed to use them and also really truly be loved. I'm glad you like it:)**

 **Twin sisters-The king is stupid. I'd be kind to baby Elsa too.:)**

 **Elsa Tomago-Agdar doesn't fire Gerda because he does consider her a trusted employee. As such, she gets more leeway with what she says than she might otherwise.:)**

 **raven678-I remember PMing you my reply, but if you didn't get it, please feel free to let me know and I'll resend it.:)**

 **BellaCullen931-Thank you!:) Elsa's still really young, but she's not stupid. She needs her daddy to treat her better, but we all know that's not happening.:/**

 **Mandy-That's fine:) I'm glad you like little Elsa...she's just adorable.:) Gerda IS pretty much acting as Elsa's mother.:P And yes, Idun should speak up. I kinda felt bad for letting that happen to little Elsa...but it seemed 100% believable to me.:/ Lol, I agree-little Elsa's snowflake trick is really cute! Too bad nobody wants it...and even if they did, it would melt the second it left Elsa's control since her magic isn't that strong yet.:) Yep, that's where the book came from. I'm glad you liked it-I wanted an explanation that was both unique and made sense. Of course, as Elsa gets older, she'll do more and learn new things.:) I guess wait and see what stupid Agdar comes up with, but don't worry, it's IMPOSSIBLE for Elsa to lose her powers, so he can't take them away from her. And thanks for saying you liked my explanations of how Elsa's magic works inside her. In my mind, it's quite literally flowing through her, which is why the doctor flat out said the magic _can't_ be separated from her because it'll kill her.:/ (And there's the fact it simply won't "separate" into a section of its own in her blood...it's like a protection mechanism.:P)**

 **On to the story! ( _I'm sorry for the insanely late update...my laptop computer's charger broke...:/_ )**

In early July, little Elsa turned one year old; and Idun invited her sister, Queen Primrose of Corona, to Arendelle to meet Elsa. "Oh, Idun, she's just darling!" Primrose exclaimed the second she saw the baby. "I'm sorry Thomas couldn't come, but one of us had to stay behind to look after Corona."

Elsa just blinked her big blue eyes at this new grown-up. Would this grown-up get mad at her for something, or would she hold Elsa and give her a hug? Even at barely a year old, Elsa's mind immediately decided the first option was more likely; and she just sat clutching her blue stuffed bear and didn't react. To Elsa's surprise, Primrose immediately picked her up and gave her a hug, but the little princess still didn't make any noise. She did, however, smile lopsidedly and offer her snowflake to Primrose.

Primrose was more than a little startled, but to her credit, she did not drop Elsa. "Idun, is _that_ what you were talking about in your letters when you said little Elsa had something physically wrong with her?" she asked, gently pushing Elsa's cold little hands away from her, although she didn't put the child down or make any disapproving faces at her. "I was just thinking that she's awfully tiny to be a year old, but I couldn't see _anything_ the matter with her."

Idun was horrified that Elsa had done her little snowflake thing yet again, but she wasn't surprised. "You can't tell anyone; you can't. It feels like Agdar hates her as it is. If he thinks someone else knows about what's wrong with Elsa, I'm afraid he'll want to…to get rid of her or something. He's horrible to her; he's forced Gerda and me to leave her alone all night; he's taken her to the doctor so many times she's going to end up with some phobia about doctors. The worst thing is that Elsa won't-or can't-talk most of the time. She doesn't even make noise very much, if at all…"

"Of course I won't tell anyone, I promise," Primrose said firmly. "But you said in one of your letters that Elsa said four words back when she was eight months old! What happened?" Primrose frowned as little Elsa tapped her arm to get her attention and then very purposely pointed at a book lying on a table and then to herself. "You want the book, Elsa?" Primrose asked, not particularly expecting a clear response.

 _Yes._ Elsa nodded and tried her best to give Primrose a hug when she had her book. Then she began wiggling and pointed at the floor.

Primrose tried to set Elsa down on her feet, figuring she could stand on her own since she was already a year old, but the baby girl almost immediately tumbled over right on her face, still clutching her bear and the book tightly. Little Elsa crawled over into a corner, pushing her things ahead of her. She looked like she was trying to hide in the carpet and the wall.

"She acts like that because she knows her daddy is pleased with her when she's not 'causing trouble', which usually means out of sight, out of mind." Idun sighed as she watched her daughter and continued explaining to her sister. "Primrose, I _know_ Elsa knows more words, probably a lot of them, to be honest. But she's…she's just…I don't know. I feel like there's something else the matter with her. She can't walk, can't even stand up, as you just saw; although she can stand if I hold her hands. She's interested in things that are too 'old' for her. That book she loves so much is some science book she got ahold of from the library…it has a lot of 'patterns in nature' in it and I think she likes looking at them because they fascinate her. But it's mostly the quietness. She's a _baby_ and she doesn't make much noise."

"Sounds to me like she's traumatized somehow, honestly, but only because of the no talking or noise. I know babies sometimes walk quite a bit later than twelve months, so I don't think that's a big deal. And if she likes books, I'd let her look at them. Maybe she's just smart." Primrose smiled as she added, "And besides, if it _does_ turn out there's something else wrong with her, she's still just a sweet little girl. You should just love her and she'll be fine. If your husband for whatever reason _does_ ever decide to get rid of Elsa, she'll have a home waiting for her in Corona. I promise. I still miss my own baby girl so much. I hope we find her." _They could have grown up knowing there was at least one other person with magic of some kind, too…_

* * *

Idun ran to pick Elsa up when she noticed Elsa had started experimenting with her magic again, evidently trying to see if she could get an actual pile of snow to play with rather than a few large snowflakes. "Elsa, no. Bad Elsa," she scolded, picking her daughter up. _Elsa, why do you have to do that? Can't you just not mess with that magic at all?_

Elsa's little face scrunched up like she was about to cry, and she hid her face in her mother's shoulder. She still didn't understand why nobody wanted her to play with her magic. Snow was soft and cool; ice and frost made pretty patterns like some of the pictures in that book she liked so much. Those things could not make her 'bad'.

Primrose frowned when she heard Elsa's stifled cries. "Idun, she sounds like she's struggling not to cry," she said softly. "I really, really don't think Elsa was doing anything wrong. It's not like she's breaking or destroying things with her magic. She just wanted to play. You're going to hurt her emotionally, if it hasn't happened already." Primrose paused before asking, "May I please hold Elsa?"

The second Idun handed the baby girl over, Primrose simply held Elsa close and gave her a hug. "You're just a little cutie, aren't you?" she said, talking directly to Elsa, trying to get her to smile.

Elsa sensed that this person was happy with her, so she held out her little snowflake again, hoping her aunt would accept it this time. Her face lit up when Primrose tried to accept it; then frowned when the snowflake immediately melted. Elsa made her snowflake again and smiled hopefully at Primrose.

"Elsa, snowflakes melt. It's yours to keep," Primrose said directly to the child, hoping she would understand.

"Mine?" Elsa asked curiously; then abruptly began shaking, as if she thought something might hurt her for talking. She _never_ said anything, and now she had said something to this still-new grownup. She didn't want to make Primrose mad at her when she had been so nice up 'til now.

Primrose forced a smile, not wanting to let Elsa see she was upset; then just hugged the baby girl tightly. She felt Elsa relax in her arms and realized she was starting to fall asleep. "Idun, you and Agdar have already hurt her. Babies aren't supposed to be scared of trying to talk," she whispered. "What are you going to do for her birthday?"

"She's too little to really have a birthday party and I don't think it's good for Elsa to be around lots of people yet because not only might she get sick, she also might…reveal that strange magic of hers to everyone. But Gerda is making a cake for her. That will be the first solid food she's had in her life." Idun frowned, thinking about what her sister had told her. "Primrose, do you think we're really hurting the little thing? I mean, she's not going to remember what happened when she's a baby…will she? Like when she was left alone and things like that?"

"No, she won't remember anything specific, but her natural personality might be damaged," Primrose said, gently stroking a sleeping Elsa's wispy platinum hair. "You can't control Agdar's actions, but you can control yours. Elsa is your daughter. Sure, you can probably have another one…or two or more…but you have Elsa here now and she needs love. All the more so because she _is_ different."

* * *

THAT AFTERNOON…

"You're going to sit at the table like a big girl today, princess," Gerda said quietly to Elsa. She smiled when the little princess shook her head and pointed to the "real" chairs. "No, Princess Elsa, no sitting in those chairs. You get a special seat just for you." Gerda could tell Elsa was excited, despite her lack of making much noise.

Elsa's face scrunched up in disappointment, but she didn't make a fuss when Gerda buckled her in the new high chair, although she watched the fastening mechanism closely, not liking something strapping her in that she didn't know how to undo herself. She contentedly began making icy handprints all over the tray and then began pretending to make her blue stuffed bear make paw prints.

"Elsa, stop that," Agdar ordered, noticing what his daughter was doing.

Elsa flinched but otherwise acted as if she hadn't heard him and continued making prints herself and pretending her bear was doing it. A second later the bear was whisked out of her hands and she instantly began trying not to cry. _Mine. Mine!_ She knew the people that _were_ nice to her and didn't get mad at her for making noise were in the room, so she pointed to the bear and just said, "Mine!"

Idun sighed and talked to her husband quietly enough that Elsa wouldn't hear. "Agdar, it's Elsa's birthday, for goodness sakes. Give the baby her bear back. Please?"

"So she _can_ talk," Agdar said flatly. "What's wrong with her? Is she stupid or something?"

"Elsa is not stupid!" Idun half-shouted. "She's just…just…" _I don't know what the right word is. But I know for a fact Elsa is most definitely not stupid._

"No, she's just defective. I wish we could send her back or something for a normal child. Then we wouldn't have to deal with someone like her."

" _You take that back!_ Elsa can't help being who she is! She's just a baby!" Idun pointed at Elsa and just stared daggers at her husband. "My daughter might very well be defective and abnormal and whatever else if you want to call it that, but she's _mine_! I am not getting rid of her!"

"Out of duty you want to keep her, that's all," Agdar said calmly.

"Don't you dare tell me what I do or do not want to do!"

Primrose sat awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

Little Elsa ended up eating her birthday cake by herself in the kitchen with Gerda.

 **A/N: Well, I did get this chapter up the day I said I would...with minutes to spare.:P**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**

 **P.S. I know I owe people reviews...they'll be up soon, I promise.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.:)**

 **CieloFede-Lol, you shouldn't feel bad for that.:P He does deserve it. Well, Elsa does have Gerda and, to a lesser extent, Idun. She also knows Kai doesn't dislike her; she just doesn't know him as well. While still horrible, it's not like Agdar is the only person Elsa is having contact with, thank goodness.:/ But I think you have a point. As it is, Elsa didn't exactly end up 100% okay, the poor girl. *gives Elsa a hug:)* Lol, I think little Elsa trying to give people her snowflake is cute, too.:P :)**

 **Olivia O'Neil-I'm glad you like Primrose.:) Don't worry, Elsa will talk soon.:)**

 **ChronoTriggerMan-I will not object.:P**

 **theblindwriter95-I agree. Elsa needs some TLC.:)**

 **raven678-Agreed. Right now Agdar considers Elsa a burden because he just plain doesn't know what to do with her (and he's prejudiced, too...):/ Elsa should have a better father, I agree.**

 **BellaCullen931-Thank you:) Yep, I was thinking of Rapunzel-after all, Primrose has seen magic already and dearly wants her own baby girl back.:/ Thank you.**

 **Unknown-Yes, I would say Agdar is prejudiced.:/**

 **Elsa Tomago-Well, Primrose doesn't really think anything of Elsa's magic, since her own (missing) little girl had some, albeit a different kind. Elsa will talk soon. She's just frightened because of her stupid father.:/**

 **Scar1-I will:)**

 **Mandy-That's okay:) I guess that means I've done my job as an author-to explain Elsa's backstory and just what led to make present-day Elsa like she is. She never did have parents who truly took care of her and loved her for who she was. I guess poor Elsa is a tragic character in a way even though she eventually gets a happy ending.:/ I wish she was real and then I would just give her a hug. Lol, I'm glad you like Elsa's little tricks she tries with her magic and her teddy bear.:)**

 **Kittygirl-Here is the next chapter:) Elsa will be okay, I promise:)**

 **On to the story!**

TWO MONTHS LATER…

"Oh Elsa, can't you at least _try_?" Idun asked little Elsa for the umpteenth time. It seemed like no matter what anyone did, the baby girl either wouldn't or couldn't walk yet. If someone tried to hold Elsa's hands and get her to walk, the princess would simply just hold on and pick up her feet, leaving her dangling by the arms. Idun wasn't sure whether Elsa didn't know how or if she was just being stubborn. She knew Elsa loved being held, although the baby girl would sometimes act like she wanted to be picked up and then start squirming to get down a second later. Maybe in Elsa's fourteen-month-old mind, she had decided that not walking meant she would be more likely to be held. "If you don't walk, your daddy's going to take you to the doctor again," Idun added quietly as she sat down in a chair with Elsa on her lap.

Little Elsa shook her head and her expression crumpled like she was about to cry. A few snowflakes began floating around her and she began grabbing at them in bewilderment. Where had those come from? She hadn't made those on purpose. Elsa noticed her mother looked more than a little upset and she held out a snowflake between her little hands and looked at Idun hopefully. Snowflakes made Elsa happy, so they ought to make her mommy happy too.

"Bad Elsa. No snowflakes," Idun scolded, pushing Elsa's hands away.

Elsa's hopeful expression disappeared and she looked at her hands and then carefully clasped them together, her little baby hands having a bit of trouble coordinating that. Now that she was a bit older, Elsa easily recognized that she constantly received mixed reactions to her magic. Gerda and Kai liked it. Mama disliked it. Papa hated it. What she didn't understand was why nobody else ever made any pretty snowflakes or anything. Wasn't everyone able to do that? At a little over a year old, the young princess was oblivious to the fact that she had actual magic-her ice and snow was just something she could do that she liked. Something that was much easier for her than the other physical things the grown-ups were always trying to get her to do.

Instantly Idun felt terrible for telling her little girl she was being naughty; she had literally told the child she was inherently bad. Elsa couldn't help having magic; she didn't know any different; she probably didn't even understand that no one else had strange abilities like hers. Idun didn't apologize, but she did hug Elsa close, ignoring the fact that Elsa's little hands were freezing cold. Elsa was noticeably tense in Idun's arms, but she made no protest and she didn't try to squirm away. Idun subconsciously clutched Elsa tighter when Agdar walked into the nursery and narrowed her eyes when she saw what he was holding. "What is that for?"

"To get rid of Elsa's…magic. What else?"

" _Hot sauce?!_ " Idun asked indignantly, jumping to her feet still holding Elsa. "You think feeding a baby hot sauce is a good idea?! You'll make Elsa sick! I will _not_ let you feed that to our daughter; I don't care what's wrong with her."

Elsa hid her face in Idun's shoulder and began crying. One of her tiny fists leaked frost on her mother's shoulder and Idun dropped the little girl in surprise. Feeling terrified, Elsa instantly began crying and squirming when she felt someone scoop her up. She wasn't really hurt, but her little body ached all over. Why had her mommy dropped her? Had she done something bad? Maybe her daddy had made her mommy drop her. Papa must hate her because he didn't like her snow. Elsa finally realized that it hadn't been either of her parents that had picked her up; it was Gerda.

Gerda could feel Elsa growing colder in her arms, and she quickly grabbed a soft blanket and wrapped the baby girl up in it so she wasn't quite so cold to hold. Elsa wasn't _freezing_ to the touch, but she was more than cold enough to make it unpleasant to hold her. Gerda frowned when she felt the baby girl shaking. "King Agdar, Queen Idun, may I _please_ say something on this poor child's behalf?" she asked loudly to get their attention.

Agdar looked annoyed, but simply said, "You may speak freely."

"Thank you. Your majesty, I just happened to walk in the doorway when I saw Princess Elsa fall to the floor like that. What in heaven's name has she done to deserve being treated like this?! Princess Elsa is a _baby_. So what if she's what you consider 'abnormal' or 'defective'? What if dropping her had injured her?" Gerda paused, realizing that Elsa was no longer shaking or crying, although she had her fists balled up in the blanket and her big blue eyes still looked a bit frightened. "And why not just wrap her up in a blanket when she's upset? _One_ blanket, not multiple ones… Then it's not so much like holding a live ice cube."

"Ith," Elsa repeated aloud hesitantly. She didn't understand everything Gerda was saying, but she did understand that Gerda was defending her somehow.

Gerda went on when the princess's parents said nothing. "Look at the princess. Please, just look at your daughter. She's just a little girl, a little girl who's going to be queen one day. King Agdar, don't you want a confident person to be in your position after you? Because if Princess Elsa is treated badly, that's one thing she most definitely won't be," she said, appealing to the purely political side of the king.

Agdar's expression softened ever so slightly when Elsa held out her hands, this time without offering any snowflake. "Ith. No. No. Ith?" Elsa's little face scrunched up in confusion; she had no idea how to express what she meant. She just wanted her daddy to understand that she wouldn't offer him her snowflake anymore if he didn't want it. Little Elsa didn't know why he didn't want it-it was _pretty_ -but if it made him mad and upset, she wouldn't try to share it anymore. She just wanted her daddy to hold her and not always seem mad at her. Although she was still a bit scared of letting Agdar hold her, Elsa really, _really_ wished he would all the same.

 _You're trying to feed_ that _hot sauce, Agdar? That's just cruel,_ something told Agdar. _But I have to do something to fix her. Elsa can't live with that…those powers of hers. She'll be ostracized and people might want to kill her._ "Idun, Gerda, get out," Agdar said flatly, taking Elsa from his trusted servant.

* * *

Elsa tensed all over, but she didn't cry. Because the people she knew didn't mind her talking were gone, she tried her best not to make the least bit of noise. "Papa," the baby girl mouthed hesitantly.

 _She just talked a minute ago…why won't she talk now?_ Agdar tried to hold little Elsa a bit more securely, but she instantly started trying to push him away. "Elsa, what is wrong with you? I thought you _liked_ being held, you crazy thing," he said, half to Elsa and half to himself. _Elsa is scared of you, that's what's wrong with her…_ "Here, Elsa, just try a little bit. If you hate it, I won't give you any more," Agdar said sincerely, wondering how much Elsa could really understand.

Elsa hesitantly accepted the spoonful of sauce, but almost instantly spit it out and then just stuck an icicle in her mouth on pure instinct. Ice was cool. That nasty stuff seemed boiling hot to her; it felt like it burned her mouth. She did not cry, but she started wiggling and squirming, trying to get away.

Although Elsa had reacted logically for a fourteen-month-old and hadn't even thrown a tantrum because the sauce was yucky, Agdar was angry the baby girl had spit the mouthful of sauce all over…and may have kind of sort of frozen all of it wherever it happened to land. "Elsa, you are a bad girl. A very bad girl!" Agdar exclaimed in disgust. He plopped Elsa down on the floor and pointed at the mess all over the floor. "Clean it up."

Elsa merely sat quietly, carefully clasped her little hands together in her lap, and just innocently stared up at her father with wide eyes. She wasn't sure how to clean up the frozen mess, and even if she did know how, she definitely didn't want to. And why was she bad? That substance was nasty. She had no intentions of eating one bit more of it.

Agdar sighed and just stalked out. "Elsa, you don't even walk yet. What is wrong with you?"

* * *

Elsa waited until the door was shut and then reached for the chair, trying her best to pull herself to her feet. Instantly she plopped back to the floor. The baby girl tried again just as the door reopened, startling her. Elsa immediately lost her balance and her little legs collapsed under her. This time she hit her head on the chair, and she instinctively began to cry.

Gerda shut the door behind her and ran over to Elsa and just picked her up. "Shh, princess, it's just a scratch. You're all right," she reassured Elsa. Gerda knew the princess was probably more scared than hurt; there was a small scratch on her forehead, but nothing remotely serious. "You'll walk when you're ready," Gerda added quietly, completely certain that Elsa had understood her father's final words and was trying to 'fix' the problem. Gerda noticed the mess on the floor and shook her head. "Princess Elsa, let's just put you in your crib for now. Play with your bear or something while I clean this up."

Elsa made a sad face. "Bad. Ba' El-tha," she said, repeating her father's reaction as best she could.

"No. _Good_ Elsa. A very good girl," Gerda said quickly. She kissed Elsa on the head before putting her in the crib and giving her the blue stuffed bear she liked so much.

Elsa gave Gerda a lopsided smile and held out her snowflake.

* * *

FOUR WEEKS LATER…

"Queen Idun, I see nothing wrong with the princess," Dr. Raske assured Idun. "Yes, she's fifteen months old and usually children are walking by now, but there is nothing wrong with her. I would be more concerned about her social and emotional behavior, to be honest. Princess Elsa should not be frightened of her father holding her or of trying to talk. Although she seems much better as far as that goes."

Idun scowled. "Well, Agdar treats her like garbage. What is Elsa supposed to think?" She paused before adding, "I've tried to get Elsa more confident in herself over the last month, and it seems to be working, but I'm still worried about her."

Elsa sat in the middle of a bed in the infirmary, contentedly sucking on her thumb. She had seemed mostly happy once she realized that she wasn't going to get poked with a needle just because she was in the infirmary, but now she frowned and held out her hand like was shaking her finger at someone. "Bad. Bad El-tha," she said. Then she stuck her thumb back in her mouth and began sucking on it again. Elsa seemed to be struck with a new idea, and she hesitantly offered the doctor a rather large piece of ice, curious what his response would be. "Ith?"

Dr. Raske smiled at little Elsa reassuringly and accepted the ice. "Yes, Princess Elsa, that's ice. And it's yours." He was surprised when Elsa crawled to him and hugged him as best she could. "Queen Idun, it's not my place to call it, but one thing you might want to do for her is start having another language talked around her as well as her native tongue since I know she'll eventually learn multiple languages as the crown princess. She may not have a large vocabulary vocally, but I am quite certain she knows a _lot_ in her head. Just watch Princess Elsa when you talk in front of her. You can just tell that she understands most of it."

Idun nodded. "That sounds like a very good idea. Are you sure there isn't anything wrong with her that's keeping her from walking? I just want Elsa to be all right," she said worriedly. _What if she has some deficiency in her head that's keeping her from doing so?_

"I'm quite sure, my queen. I suppose anything is possible, but I think Princess Elsa is just a _very_ late walker. Perhaps her body has instinctively focused on developing that strange magic of hers and that's slowed down other physical skills. Look at how much ice she can make now in perfect control in one go. In any event, rest assured that she definitely has no mental issues. She's smart. Even if it turns out there's something the matter with her, I don't think it will matter." Raske gently handed the little girl back to the queen. "Just love her and she'll be perfectly fine."

 **A/N: Little Elsa can talk a bit more now, and she's trying to stand/walk, but she can't yet. (In my mind, Dr. Raske deduction that Elsa's body is simply focused on developing her magic is why. It makes sense to me.:))**

 **Next chapter coming soon:)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.**

 **Elsa Tomago-Well, Agdar isn't exactly smart when it comes to Elsa, and he's not fair to her.:/ You'll probably be even more mad at him after this chapter.:P**

 **Olivia O'Neil-Thank you! I'm glad you liked it.:) Gerda and Dr. Raske actually accept Elsa just like she is.:)**

 **theblindwriter95-Agreed! Little Elsa needs lots and lots of hugs.:)**

 **Silent reader-I'm glad you liked it.:) I think I shall have to agree...baby Elsa IS awfully cute and sweet.:)**

 **BellaCullen931-Thank you:) I just thought little Elsa would get really really happy if someone actually accepted her ice when she offered it. Besides, she's a little cutie anyways.:P**

 **raven678-Thank you!:) Little Elsa will say/learn some more in this chapter.:) Yeah, that won't happen.:/ Agdar is stupid...**

 **On to the story!:)**

"Agdar, I did _not_ say Elsa was old enough to start actual lessons, for goodness sake!" Idun exclaimed. "I said Dr. Raske said that it might be a good idea for her to be exposed to more languages since she'll need them eventually anyhow. Elsa's only fifteen months old-she's still just a baby in my mind."

Agdar shook his head. "No, if she refuses to walk, then she can just learn other things instead. Since Elsa likes Gerda so much, Gerda can start teaching Elsa her colors, numbers, and letters. I'll check on her progress once a week," he decided. "Where is Elsa? I need to see her."

"She's outside in the gardens with Gerda. I asked Gerda to take her outside, so don't go fussing at Gerda for taking Elsa out," Idun replied.

"What were you thinking?! Someone might see her!" Agdar jumped up to head for the gardens, but Idun grabbed his arm. "Idun, stop it. Elsa cannot be outdoors. At least not until she's old enough to rationally understand that she can't go around making ice or snow."

Idun frowned. "Agdar, Elsa can't just stay inside constantly. She'll end up being scared of being outside the castle and it's not healthy, either. She's already so pale. I think Elsa needs a bit of color to her. Not a lot, just a little. I know Gerda put a hat on her and everything so she wouldn't get sunburned. Elsa looks like a little cutie, too. Could we get a family portrait done?" she asked. "I think Elsa would sit still well enough to be painted."

"No. Can you imagine what that would look like? Two at least fairly dark-haired parents with a daughter like Elsa? I think that's just asking for trouble. So no, absolutely not," Agdar said firmly.

* * *

Outside, Gerda had laid an old blanket on the ground so Elsa could move about on her own without getting all dirty, but little Elsa didn't seem to care. She had almost instantly crawled off the blanket and started investigating these new surroundings, every so often making sure that Gerda was nearby. Elsa liked quiet, but she didn't like being completely alone. Somehow being alone frightened her and made her feel unwanted. Elsa just sat in the grass and began carefully frosting over single blades of grass. Frosty grass looked pretty to her.

Gerda sighed when she noticed what little Elsa was doing. "Princess Elsa, please come," she said gently. Gerda refused to tell Elsa to stop what she was doing, but she knew allowing the princess to continue frosting the grass would be more than likely to get both of them in trouble.

Elsa completely understood what Gerda wanted her to do, and she knew that Gerda knew that as well. She started to crawl back over to Gerda, but then just sat down in the grass again, wondering what would happen if she said no. Elsa trusted Gerda. She knew refusing a simple request was naughty. Therefore she deserved to be punished if she said no. Gerda wouldn't hurt her, though, right? So what would actually happen? "No," the little girl announced, her blue eyes looking curiously straight at Gerda.

"Princess Elsa…" Gerda wasn't sure what to say or do next. Part of her was just happy that Elsa was actually confident enough to do that. Usually Elsa would obey simple instructions instantly, probably partly because she was scared something or someone would hurt her. But from the look in Elsa's eyes, Gerda knew that Elsa wasn't just suddenly being stubborn; she looked _curious_ , like she was conducting an experiment to see what would happen. "No books until tomorrow," Gerda said finally, unsure if she was doing the right thing. _Technically I don't have the authority to tell Elsa what to do..._

Almost instantly Elsa crawled the rest of the way to Gerda and pulled herself, dirty clothes and all, onto Gerda's lap. Although Elsa loved looking at pictures in books, she was mostly just happy Gerda had punished her and yet not shouted at her or seemed all mad at her…or told her she was bad for playing with her ice. Elsa suddenly decided that her coat was uncomfortable and she began tugging at it, trying to get it off. Soon the unwanted coat was happily tossed away and the little girl snuggled back up to the grown-up she trusted most.

"Princess Elsa, we wear coats outdoors when it's cooler," Gerda told her. A niggling feeling told her that not only did Elsa not need to wear a coat, she probably actually felt too warm in it. Luckily it wasn't _too_ cold outside today, but Gerda knew if Elsa was allowed to, she would probably be perfectly comfortable in summer things in winter.

Elsa just looked puzzled. Why would anyone have to wear a coat if it was cooler? Her body still wasn't particularly good at regulating body temperature; she had a heightened sensitivity to heat, although warmth felt pleasant to her. Elsa still didn't know that she had actual magic, although she was beginning to wonder if anyone else could really make ice and snow. She had never seen anyone do so, and if no one else could, that must be why her daddy didn't like it. Elsa carefully held out her snowflake in both hands; then dropped it and pointed to Gerda. Then she repeated the same motion again. "Eh-da ith?" she asked.

Gerda was confused at first, but then she realized what Elsa was asking. _She wants to know if I can do what she can do. Does Elsa think everyone has magic?!_ She was hesitant to tell Elsa the truth, but she was sure to find out sometime soon, and she decided she would rather be the one to tell Elsa than, say, the princess's father. "No, princess. Only you, Princess Elsa, can make ice and snow. You have magic," Gerda said slowly, unsure just how much the little girl would understand. "You are different, and I love you for it."

To Gerda's surprise and disappointment, little Elsa just hid her face in Gerda's arms and began crying. Elsa wasn't even really a toddler yet, but she was already subconsciously aware that different equaled bad. She couldn't express why or how; she didn't understand what 'magic' was at all; but she did know what 'different' meant, even if she didn't know how to use the word at all. This was why her daddy hated her, wasn't it?

Gerda just held the young princess and hugged her close. "Shh, princess, it's ok. You are safe. And it is perfectly fine to cry. I love you, Princess Elsa," she said soothingly, trying in vain to get little Elsa to calm down. Something told her Elsa was _not_ scared; she was just sad. When Gerda tried to look Elsa in the face, Elsa wouldn't even meet her eyes. Gerda finally just cradled the distraught little girl in her arms and simply hugged her tightly so she would feel safe. "Different is good, Princess Elsa," she said firmly. Gerda was mostly worried because there were many, many snowflakes tumbling around Elsa, not just a few floating around her. If Elsa didn't calm down soon, someone might hear her and investigate…and find out about Elsa's magic. _Elsa, please calm down. I hate seeing you upset and I don't want to get you…or me…into trouble…_

Finally Elsa seemed to run out of energy, and she simply went limp in Gerda's arms, nearly asleep. Gerda just took the little princess back inside.

* * *

"Gerda, why is Elsa so dirty?!" Agdar asked in annoyance. "I won't have any daughter of mine like that, even if it is Elsa."

Gerda shook her head and held Elsa tighter. _'Even if' it's Elsa, indeed. Why do you keep treating her like this?_ "No worries, your majesty, Princess Elsa will have a bath straightaway. She was just exploring. Excuse me, please."

Little Elsa perked up when she heard the word 'bath'. She actually _liked_ having a bath. She could play with the water and no one would fuss at her because one, Gerda was the only one who gave her baths, and two, Gerda would be too busy washing her hair to tell her anything about her magic anyway. "Ith," she said happily; then spotted her father and immediately hid her face in Gerda's shoulder again.

Before Agdar could say anything else, Gerda rushed off with Elsa in her arms. "Come on, princess, let's not have you hear any more nonsense," she said under her breath.

* * *

TWO MONTHS LATER…

Now seventeen months old, Elsa had been easily absorbing a _lot_ of new information from her surroundings. She recognized that you could say different words to mean the exact same thing, and she spoke more often now, although she still remained simply quiet much of the time. Little Elsa still couldn't walk yet, but she could pull herself to a standing position without losing her balance. "Mama," she said now. "El-tha th-danding," she said. Elsa made a face, recognizing her s's weren't coming out properly. She carefully repeated herself in both Spanish and English after her native Norwegian. Always, always, if the little girl could help it, if she spoke, she would say whatever it was in _all_ the ways she knew how. Sometimes she couldn't, but with her parents and Gerda all speaking something different to her, she had to understand or she wouldn't know what was going on. Sometimes that was frustrating.

Idun knelt next to her and just smiled. "That's very good, Elsa," she said softly. "Can you try to walk?"

Rather than say anything, Elsa purposely froze her hands to the chair she was holding on to, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief. Her expression said everything; little Elsa didn't need to say a word.

Idun sighed. She was delighted that Gerda had managed to get Elsa so she wasn't so hesitant and frightened at trying to do or say anything, but little Elsa's newfound confidence also meant she caused more trouble than before. The crown princess was still an overall quiet child, but she also would get into things she wasn't supposed to if she found them interesting, and she already had a very obvious sense of humor. Idun had also noticed that Elsa would sometimes feign ignorance about things, although she never lied; and also that she would very deliberately do things simply to see what would happen. "Bad Elsa. No ice," Idun said firmly.

Elsa's happy mischievous expression immediately vanished, and her blue eyes began filling with tears when she tried to get rid of the ice and couldn't. She didn't understand; the ice _always_ did what she wanted. Why wouldn't it melt? Elsa's little baby legs were growing tired of holding her up, and she couldn't sit down on the floor because her hands were stuck. Elsa looked up at her mother, not knowing what to do or say.

"Elsa…" Idun suddenly realized Elsa wasn't just playing anymore; she was genuinely stuck and couldn't free herself. _What am I supposed to do?! My daughter just purposely iced her hands to that chair and now she doesn't know how to reverse whatever it is she did. Why can't Elsa fix what she did?_ Resisting the urge to just leave the little girl alone because she was scared of what else Elsa might end up doing, Idun hesitantly tugged at Elsa's cold arms, but the ice wouldn't come loose. Idun could tell Elsa was starting to panic, and tiny snowflakes were starting to float around her. Somehow Idun knew Elsa wasn't doing that on purpose either.

"Mama go 'way!" Elsa exclaimed, sensing that her mommy didn't want to be anywhere near her. Her funny joke wasn't funny; she had been naughty and now she was stuck and her mommy was probably mad at her and what if she _stayed_ stuck and _why_ wouldn't the ice listen to her? Tears began streaming down her cheeks when she heard her father's voice.

"What is going on in here?" Agdar asked. He just stared when he saw what Elsa had done. "Elsa, stop the ice right now," he ordered. When little Elsa just stared at him and didn't move, he just grabbed her and yanked her away from the chair.

The chair came along with the princess.

"Elsa, let go!" Agdar tried to shake the chair loose, and he stumbled backwards when the fairly heavy chair crashed to the floor along with dozens of sharp ice shards, accidentally dropping the little girl in the process. _What did I just do? What if that crazy little kid of mine is actually hurt?_ He sighed and reached for Elsa, but she flinched, staring at him with those big blue eyes of hers. "Idun, tell Gerda to take Elsa to the doctor just in case," he ordered, then just turned and stalked out. "I need to talk to you." _That tiny little thing was strong enough to pick up a heavy_ chair _because of her…strange abilities. What else can she do?_

The second Agdar was gone, little Elsa reached for the ice shard nearest her and abruptly threw it across the room as hard as she could; then yelped and started holding her arm. She wanted Gerda; she wanted someone to make her magic listen to her again. She angrily kicked her legs at the ice shards lying on the floor around her and continued doing so until she felt herself being picked up. _Gerda?_ The little girl quickly relaxed when she realized it was indeed Gerda who had picked her up. Her arm still hurt, but she felt safe now. Gerda would fix her up good as new.

* * *

Elsa stayed quiet while Dr. Raske checked her over, although she wouldn't let Gerda put her down entirely. Gerda willingly held the little girl close, but she didn't let Elsa refuse to let the doctor look at her arm. "Princess Elsa, stop," she said quietly but firmly when Elsa tried to hide her arm. "Dr. Raske will make it feel better."

The princess complied, but she hid her arm again the instant Dr. Raske stopped examining it. It _hurt_ , and someone touching it and trying to move it just made it worse. Elsa had multiple scratches on her arms and hands from the ice, and while those stung, she thought her arm hurt worse. A lot worse. Why had her daddy dropped her like that? She was shaking a bit as she buried her face in Gerda's shoulder. At least Gerda took care of her and held her and everything.

"How did Princess Elsa get hurt in the first place?" Raske asked.

"As near as I can find out, she froze her hands to a chair because she thought it was funny and then couldn't dissolve the ice. I think King Agdar got angry and just…pulled her free and then dropped her by accident. At least that's what Queen Idun told me," Gerda replied. "Is her arm all right?"

"Well, it could just be badly bruised, but I think she's fractured it. Not badly, though. You can tell something's wrong inside when it's touched. She's just a baby, so she'll heal very quickly, though. We'll put a splint on it so she won't hurt it further while it heals." Raske shook his head, thinking about what Gerda had told him. "Hasn't one of the princess's parents dropped her before?" he asked, frowning.

Gerda gently made Elsa stop hiding her hurt arm so Dr. Raske could take care of it, but still continued holding her. "Yes, at least once that I know of, if not more," she answered, a slight edge to her voice. "They get scared of her magic and accidentally drop her in the process."

The doctor didn't answer until he was finished tending to Elsa, more than a little surprised at how little of a fuss the little girl was making. She was clearly unhappy with having some unfamiliar thing put on her arm, but she didn't cry or try to wiggle away. "You are a very brave girl, Princess Elsa. Good girl," he praised the second he was finished; then grew even more surprised when Elsa wiggled out of Gerda's arms and tried to give him a hug, along with a carefully made piece of ice. "Why thank you, princess. I see you know how to do that with one hand now."

Elsa's pale face lit up at that. Then she scowled and started trying to take the splint off her arm. She had immediately decided she did _not_ like that thing.

"Ms. Gerda, don't worry. Princess Elsa won't get it off; it's toddler-proof," the doctor assured Gerda when he saw her worried expression. "Well, _most_ toddlers," he amended, somehow feeling quite sure that Elsa probably _would_ figure out how to get it off eventually if she were allowed to try long enough.

Gerda scooped the princess up and held her protectively in her arms. "I'll just keep an eye on her," she promised.

"One more thing." Dr. Raske scribbled a quick note on a piece of paper, not wanting Elsa to hear what he was about to tell Gerda and then innocently repeat it to her parents. ' _If you'd be willing, tell Princess Elsa's parents she broke her arm and make it sound as awful as possible without lying. Parents dropping their baby daughter multiple times is horrible and there's no excuse for that. Once, accident, ok. Not multiple times. Maybe Elsa actually being hurt this time will be enough to make the king and queen be more careful? Don't worry, though, the princess will be perfectly fine. In a month at most since she's so young.'_ He immediately tore the note up and threw it away the second Gerda had read it.

"I certainly will," Gerda said firmly. She hugged Elsa tightly. "Thank you. For everything."

* * *

Idun cried when she first saw Elsa after that. "Gerda, is Elsa's poor little arm _broken_?!" she asked. She reached for Elsa and just hugged her close, wishing she could take back what had happened. _If only I hadn't fussed at Elsa about walking, she wouldn't have started playing with her magic by sticking her hands to something in the first place…_

Gerda nodded but said nothing. She was sure Idun would be extra careful with Elsa now, but she wasn't so sure about Agdar. "Excuse me, please."

"Very well." Idun turned all her attention to her daughter, watching her closely to see if she was frightened or in pain or otherwise unhappy. "I'm sorry, Elsa," she said softly, sitting down in a chair with Elsa on her lap.

Elsa shook her head. She knew why her arm hurt, and it wasn't her mommy's fault. "Papa," she said with great certainty, pointing at her injured arm. It still hurt, but not as much as before. She just didn't understand why going to the doctor hadn't fixed her entirely.

Idun sighed, knowing exactly what Elsa meant. 'It's not your fault, Mama; it's Papa's.' Little Elsa might not have known how to express that, but she definitely knew exactly what had happened. Idun said nothing, but she clutched Elsa tightly, hoping the little girl wouldn't remember any of this when she was older. Surely she wouldn't; children couldn't remember things from when they were only seventeen months old. _It won't happen again, Elsa. You're not going to get hurt again._

 **A/N: So...yeah. That happened. The very first time Elsa's ice powers don't do what she wants them to. And yes, Elsa's magic is strong enough to pull a heavy chair along with her.**

 **Idun is right; Elsa won't remember this when she's older, but that also means that twenty-one-year-old Elsa's belief that her parents never physically hurt her is wrong.:/ Yes, it was an accident, but still.**

 **Next chapter coming soon!:)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing:)**

 **theblindwriter95-Well, no, we can't kill Agdar, but you can smack him upside the head if you want to. I won't object:P Elsa will be all right, I promise:)**

 **mlp girl-I agree, Elsa should do that.:)**

 **raven678-I'm glad you liked it:) Yeah...that's not going to happen.:/ I'm tempted to write two one-shots/short stories; one where Elsa's raised in the best conditions imaginable, and the other in the worst conditions imaginable just to show the difference her stupid parents could make. (Obviously reality is somewhere in between, but still.:/)**

 **BellaCullen931-I just thought since both Dr. Raske and Gerda really care about little Elsa just like she is, they would probably do something like that:)**

 **Olivia O'Neil-Well, as little Elsa gets more confident, she's also going to start actually making messes and causing trouble, which is both cute and awfully funny.:) (I just see pre-accident little Elsa as the sort of child who quietly makes mischief rather than noisily like Anna would. I don't know if that makes any sense...just read on:P)**

 **Elsa Tomago-Well, let's just say Agdar isn't exactly fair to little Elsa, to say the least.:/ Of course Elsa has always known how to melt the ice...it's just at this point she's so young she doesn't understand it's connected to her emotions. Remember yes, 'love will thaw', but she also has to be happy and calm to get rid of whatever she makes. Even when Elsa's a little older (6, 7, 8), she doesn't _really_ know how her magic works. Since Elsa both got upset and scared AND she simply needs her hands completely free to dissolve what she makes at this point (obviously not true when she's older), she couldn't get rid of the ice when she stuck her hands to the chair. Well, like Dr. Raske pointed out, that wasn't the first time Elsa had been dropped on the floor, and he also knows about all the blood tests and whatnot (obviously):P He's also thinking Elsa is still really little...she could have landed on something a lot worse than her arm and been really badly hurt.:/**

 **IndyGirl89-Thank you for all those reviews:) I'm trying to be realistic (and consistent with my other stories) with the way other people react to little Elsa, and that meant Elsa's father isn't fair to her and is quite honestly pretty mean.:/ And I agree-babies walk at all different ages:) (My mom said I was fifteen months old when I first walked, if I remember right, and she seemed to think that was really late:P) And Elsa will be all right:)**

 **Guest-Agreed, very cute:) And agreed on that as well.:/**

 **On to the story!**

"Agdar, I don't care what she did," Idun said quietly. "I agree, a little tiny thing like Elsa being able to drag a heavy chair along with her because of her…special abilities is disturbing, but she didn't do it on purpose. Elsa wasn't trying to be stubborn. Not that time. And you broke her arm!"

Agdar was taken aback at that; he hadn't seen Elsa since the incident earlier that day. "What do you mean I broke her arm?! I didn't do any such thing. Besides, wouldn't Elsa have been yelling and screaming and carrying on if she had a broken arm?" Agdar asked.

Idun shook her head. "You dropped her, and she must have landed on it. Gerda took her to the doctor like you said, and when Gerda brought her back upstairs, Elsa had a splint on her arm and Gerda said it was broken. Elsa wasn't happy, but she wasn't throwing a fit about it. Agdar, you _know_ Elsa generally doesn't throw tantrums." She paused before adding, "Now do you see how mean you are to her?"

"I don't believe you."

"I'll show you then! Elsa's napping, but you can still see her." Idun grabbed Agdar's hand before he could say anything and pulled him down the hall to the nursery. "Now look. Look at her," she whispered, pointing at Elsa, who was fast asleep clutching her blue stuffed bear with her good arm, her splinted one awkwardly flopped to the side. "And there are scratches all over her arms and hands besides."

Agdar sighed and gently touched the sleeping toddler's head. "This wouldn't have happened at all if it wasn't for that…that magic of hers," he muttered. "Idun…Elsa _is_ all right, isn't she?"

"I don't know…she seemed to be ok when she was awake, but…Agdar, come on. Let's let Elsa sleep in peace," Idun said quietly.

* * *

The second they were back out in the hall, Agdar said, "This just proves it. We _have_ to find some way to fix Elsa. I don't want her getting hurt like that again, and that horrible magic of hers is already getting stronger. A lot stronger. Idun, you know as well as I do that no normal child Elsa's age would have been able to pick up a heavy chair like that. _Elsa_ wouldn't have been able to if it wasn't for the ice. And why hasn't she started walking yet? She's more than old enough…"

Idun frowned. "Agdar, were you even listening? Elsa being abnormal is not what gave her a broken arm. You dropped her. It's pure luck that that hasn't happened sooner…I've dropped the poor thing too. We have to be more careful with her, and try not to just get…scared of her," she said quietly. "We're going to end up breaking something that you can't just put a splint on and make it all better."

"What is that supposed to mean? Idun, all I'm trying to say is that we _have_ to figure out how to fix our daughter. She can't stay like that," Agdar said firmly.

"I understand that and I agree, but in the meantime, we have to take better care of her! She's just a baby."

"Elsa is not a baby anymore. She's almost a year and a half old. If she's going to be queen one day, she's going to have to learn to keep that ice hidden. If not, she's going to need a spare just in case," Agdar told Idun in a quiet voice. "And she's going to need to be able to deal with people disliking her for any reason. Part of me doesn't even want Elsa any longer."

"No." Idun didn't like to outright refuse her husband things, but she thought that was absolutely ridiculous. "What would we tell either child if and when they found out? Are you going to tell a little girl her own parents didn't want her? What on earth would you do with Elsa anyway? And what if we did have another child and that one had…magic too?"

"The chances of that are so remote I don't think it's worth worrying about," Agdar said firmly. "And…perhaps we could simply give Elsa away and say she fell ill or-"

Idun's eyes filled with tears at that, and she impulsively ran and grabbed Elsa from the nursery. "How could you suggest we _give this away_?!" she demanded, holding Elsa out to her father. "She's our _daughter_!"

Little Elsa just blinked sleepily for a few seconds, not understanding where she was or what was going on. She still clutched her stuffed bear tightly, and she was wondering why her arm hurt. Then she remembered what happened-her daddy had dropped her because she was being bad. Why were her parents shouting at each other? Elsa whimpered as her father took her in his arms, a bit frightened of being dropped again. She awkwardly held her splinted arm close and hid it behind her stuffed bear, not wanting Agdar to touch it. "Papa, El-tha bad?" she asked, her blue eyes staring earnestly at her father.

Agdar hesitated, not knowing what to say. _She's not trying to be naughty…she probably doesn't understand why her…powers are bad._ "No," he said finally, hoping he was doing the right thing. To his surprise, Elsa almost immediately relaxed and rested her head on his shoulder and stopped hiding her hurt arm. "Does it hurt?" Agdar asked quietly, gently touching her arm.

Elsa flinched and nodded, but she didn't start wiggling and squirming trying to get down. She just stayed still.

"Elsa, why aren't you crying if it hurts?" Agdar asked, wondering if she would even respond to the question.

Elsa did understand the question, but she didn't understand why her daddy would ask her that. Was she _supposed_ to keep crying after someone kind of sort of mended the owie for her? She _had_ cried-a lot!-when Agdar had dropped her, but mostly because she was terrified, not because she was hurt. Maybe a _little_ bit because she was hurt, but not so much.

"She doesn't understand," Agdar told his wife.

Idun shook her head and took Elsa back. "I think she doesn't understand why you would ask her such a thing," she said matter-of-factly. " _I_ don't understand why you asked her that. Agdar, why would you want poor Elsa in bad enough pain that it would make her cry?" She gently stroked Elsa's platinum hair, hoping the little girl would go back to sleep. Whether Elsa was crying or not, Idun was quite sure Elsa's arm still hurt her…she was holding it awkwardly and didn't want anyone touching it.

Agdar said nothing for a minute and then finally just announced, "We will not be giving Princess Elsa away," before striding off down the hall. _She's mine. We're going to figure out how to fix her._

Idun rolled her eyes a bit before carrying Elsa back to the nursery.

* * *

After a little over a week, Elsa discovered it was great fun to break small dust collectors by hitting them with her splint since her arm didn't hurt so much anymore. Gerda found the little girl sitting in the middle of hundreds of shards of a broken vase in the hallway, contentedly stirring the pieces around with her good hand and putting frost on them. "Princess Elsa, bad girl!" Gerda scolded, quickly picking the princess up. "Why are you by yourself anyways?"

"Mama…" the toddler acted out rather noisy snoring. She did not look the least bit apologetic.

Gerda frowned, wondering how Elsa had reached the vase in the first place since it had been up on a small table. She knew the little girl still couldn't…or simply didn't…walk, but even if Elsa had managed to pull herself to her feet so she could stand, she still wouldn't have been able to reach that vase. "Princess Elsa, how did you reach the vase?" she asked sternly.

Elsa just blinked, feigning ignorance.

"Princess Elsa. I know you understand. How did you reach the vase?"

Elsa sighed dramatically and started squirming so Gerda would put her down. Then she very, very carefully created a wide block of ice, stuck it to the floor, crawled on top of it, and then pulled herself to her feet and put her hand exactly where the vase had been. The entire maneuver took her less than fifteen seconds, with most of that time being spent trying to stand up.

Gerda resisted the urge to smile. Little Elsa looked awfully pleased with herself and not sorry in the least that she had purposely made a mess. _Well…at least fracturing her arm didn't traumatize her or anything. But she can't keep doing things like this, either._ Gerda wasn't sure what to do with Elsa; she wanted to encourage the princess's self-confidence, but going about breaking things 'just because' was unacceptable. At least the child hadn't lied about it. She finally just sighed, scooped Elsa up, took her back to the nursery, and just put her in her crib. "Time-out for ten minutes. No toys. No magic. No books," she said firmly.

"No, out!" Elsa responded. Almost immediately she began drumming her heels against the crib railings; then just as quickly decided she didn't like the unpleasant noise it made and stopped. She did understand she had been being naughty, but she still wanted out of her crib. Either that or she wanted her stuffed bear or something.

"You can have 'out' in ten minutes," Gerda told the child firmly. A second later she felt something soft and very cold on her back and instantly knew what Elsa had done. She turned back to see Elsa smiling and swishing snow back and forth in her crib. "Princess Elsa, no magic until time-out is over."

Elsa obediently dissolved her snow and then gave Gerda a hopeful smile. "Out?"

"No, princess."

The little girl huffed and just flopped down on her tummy. She waited until Gerda had moved to the other side of the room before trying to use her magic with her bad hand. Instantly she yelped in pain and began crying, and Gerda came back over to Elsa and just shook her head.

Gerda felt bad for Elsa and felt like she couldn't scold her for being naughty when she was obviously crying in pain, so she just picked little Elsa up and held her close. "That's what you get for being naughty, you silly girl," Gerda said quietly, but she continued holding Elsa until the little girl had stopped crying. Then Gerda gently put Elsa back in her crib. "This time be good. Ten minutes and then you can have 'out'."

Elsa nodded and just sat quietly, her little hands resting in her lap. Her blue eyes followed Gerda to the opposite side of the room. Gerda had punished her and yet she still wasn't actually _mad_ at her. Gerda had even picked her up and made her feel better when she had made her arm hurt because she was being bad. She decided she would give Gerda a great big hug the second she was allowed out.

 **A/N: Ack, writing little Elsa being mischievous and causing trouble and not being particularly sorry about it is fun.:) Anyways...**

 **Next chapter coming soon:)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.:)**

 **theblindwriter95-I think so, too.:) Little Elsa is really cute, even when she's being naughty.:P**

 **Olivia O'Neil-Agdar doesn't hate her, but he's scared of her and doesn't like her magic at all.:/ I figured since Elsa's getting older, she would probably get into things and cause trouble (like breaking the vase). I mean, she's just a little kid, so I think she would have done things like that whether she's well-mannered as a child or not.:) I have nothing to say to defend Agdar, as I don't like him either.:/**

 **IndyGirl89-Now that you say that, you're probably right...Oh well. I hadn't thought of that.:/**

 **Elsa Tomago-Agdar is just being really unfair to Elsa. Don't worry, they are not going to give little Elsa away (obviously, since this is supposed to satisfy canon!) :)**

 **BellaCullen931-Thank you:) I like writing little Elsa being mischievous, but it also kind of makes me upset, since she shoves that bit of her away when she's older...:/ After all, she was only EIGHT when the accident happened...**

 **Mandy-Thank you:) Idun is simply nervous around little Elsa, and she does want a 'normal' child, but she does genuinely care about Elsa, too. (ie., I think if she had been the only one deciding what to do with Elsa after the accident, she would probably have separated the girls but still let them talk to one another or something, and she wouldn't have forced Elsa to stay in her room constantly.:/) Agdar does have a conscience; it's just still not nearly enough for him to treat Elsa properly. That's why he randomly decided he did want to keep Elsa. I have no idea how long this story will end up being, but it'll end around or right after Anna is born. Elsa is 19 months old at the end of this chapter, so...yeah. I don't know how long it'll be.:P**

 **Dragonheart35-Um...I have nothing to say. I guess that was a pretty mean hint to what happens in the future, but...yeah.:/ :P**

 **On to the story! (I am so sorry for the insanely ridiculously late update...:P)**

"Christhmath!" little Elsa exclaimed happily. She had been hearing so much about this special day that she was very excited even though she had no idea what it was…she couldn't really remember her actual first Christmas from the year before. Her blue eyes immediately focused on all the shiny packages under the tree when her mother carried her into the library. "Prethenths?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes, Elsa, presents," Idun told Elsa, being extra careful of the little girl's arm even though Dr. Raske had said she was perfectly fine now. Elsa still favored the arm she'd broken, but it didn't seem to hurt her and she was able to move it easily.

A few minutes later, the adults discovered that little Elsa was far more interested in playing with the wrapping paper than the things inside her gifts. Elsa would take a long, long time to open each present, carefully tearing the paper off; then discard whatever was inside and just happily scrunch up the paper…or drape it over her head, which she seemed to think was hilarious. She scooted closer to her father and hesitantly tugged on his pants leg. "Papa hat?" she asked hopefully, holding out a large piece of wrapping paper.

"No, Elsa, I do not want a paper hat," Agdar told her firmly.

Elsa's shoulders slumped at that, and her blue eyes began welling with tears. "Bad El-tha?"

"No, Elsa, you are not being bad," Agdar said, debating whether or not he should pick the little girl up. Elsa's hand felt cold to him, and part of him was quite honestly slightly scared Elsa would cause more trouble with her magic, like when she'd stuck her hands to that chair. Elsa might look cute and innocent, but she wasn't going to stay a toddler forever. She would grow up and she could be dangerous.

Idun quickly picked Elsa up and just held her close. "Agdar, you're making her upset. What is with you? She wasn't even doing anything…strange. Playing with wrapping paper isn't going to hurt her or anyone else." She turned her attention to Elsa and just gave the toddler a smile. "Let's fix that headband, you silly girl," Idun said quietly.

Elsa just tilted her head to one side, not understanding why her headband needed fixing. So what if it was a bit askew over one ear and her hair was all rumpled? She tried to smooth her bangs herself and then was confused when her mother began trying not to laugh. Elsa looked down at her hands and v-e-r-y carefully made a pretty icy snowflake; then stuck it in her hair. "El-tha pretty," she said proudly.

"Idun, take that thing out of that girl's hair right now," Agdar ordered, noticing what Elsa had done. _And Elsa looks…pleased about it. That's…not good._ He took Elsa from Idun and took the snowflake out of Elsa's hair. "Bad Elsa! You know better than that!"

Elsa stubbornly clenched her little hands into fists when she felt her daddy trying to put mittens on her. "No, no, no! Icky!" she protested. " _Hate th-th-dose!_ "

Idun simply grabbed Elsa back, making sure not to drop her again. "You're hurting my baby," she spat angrily, clutching the crying child tightly. She could feel that Elsa was downright freezing to hold, but she didn't put her down. Not this time. Deep inside she knew that Elsa hadn't done anything wrong, and she refused to let the little girl be punished for absolutely nothing. "Elsa. Elsa, look. More wrapping paper," Idun said, offering Elsa more of the shiny paper in an effort to distract her and calm her down.

Elsa kept her face hidden in her mother's dress, but she hesitantly peeked at what her mother was showing her; then stuck one hand out and grabbed the paper, scrunching it in her fist.

"Gerda, please take Elsa back to the nursery," Idun called, and handed the little girl to Gerda the second Gerda was close enough to do so. _Elsa will be happier in there with Gerda, and I need to talk to Agdar._

Once Gerda was gone, Idun turned her attention back to her husband. "Agdar, please don't scare little Elsa like that again. You know she's been much better recently…talking more and acting more confident. She'll go right back the way she was if we hurt her," she said carefully.

"She was putting ice in her hair, Idun. That's not normal! You know we can't let her do things like that," Agdar told her.

"Well, Elsa isn't normal. And she's way too little to be told she's inherently bad just because she's being herself. She won't understand we just don't like her…her strange abilities; she'll think we don't like _her_. We have to come up with something else," Idun replied. "Elsa _is_ a sweet little girl, just like Gerda has said so many times. She's just…just messed up, too. She doesn't mean to cause trouble."

Agdar frowned. "For argument's sake, let's just say we let Elsa 'be herself'. What's going to happen when someone sees what she can do? She could get labeled a freak or a witch or worse. She could never be queen, let alone be accepted into normal society. We could end up with a rebellion or something for harboring sorcery in the royal castle. The whole thing is just trouble waiting to happen. I still say we try for another child and hope it ends up normal. If the new baby ends up like Elsa, we'll just send him or her to Corona with your sister before the baby realizes its real parents gave him or her away, before anyone finds out there's another baby at all. Your sister didn't seem to care about Elsa being like she is."

Idun hesitated, mulling over Agdar's newest idea. _Primrose didn't mind Elsa at all…she even offered to adopt Elsa should Agdar decide he didn't want her anymore…_ "What would happen to Elsa if the new baby was normal?" she asked finally. "I don't want her to think we just had another baby because she wasn't good enough herself."

"She's not."

Idun's gray-blue eyes began filling with tears. She remembered how tiny…and just downright cute…Elsa had been as a newborn and the way she hadn't breathed properly in her sleep for the first few months. She remembered the very first time she had heard Elsa say a word. "That's _not_ true. Elsa is plenty 'good enough'! I don't care if she still hasn't started walking and she's abnormal and looks different or anything else! She's _ours_. If she can't be queen, then fine. I think Elsa's still young enough she wouldn't really mind not being the crown princess. But…but I want to make sure she's going to be all right!"

"She couldn't be pushed out of line as crown princess unless the new baby was a boy," Agdar mused thoughtfully.

"It would be nice to have a normal little girl, though, along with Elsa," Idun replied, warming up a bit to the idea. As much as she hated to admit it, Idun knew she would like to have a normal child very much. She wanted Elsa safe; she did care about the little ice mage; but Elsa just wasn't the child she'd dreamed of having. _What right do I have to get mad at Agdar for saying the things he does about Elsa? I don't want to admit it, but evidently I don't think Elsa is 'good enough' either since I still want a normal baby… And what would poor Elsa think if she found out her own parents didn't_ really _want her? It's not her fault she's like she is._

Back in the nursery, Gerda just held Elsa close until she was completely calm again. "Do you want a snack?" Gerda asked.

Little Elsa shook her head and stuck her scrunched up wrapping paper in her mouth. She wasn't hungry; she just wanted to chew on the paper.

Gerda frowned. "Princess Elsa, that's nasty. Let's not chew up the paper. Can you go put it in the trash can?" She was hoping the little girl would try to walk over to the trash can in the corner, but she just half-crawled, half-scooted instead.

"Book?" Elsa said hopefully once she had thrown the paper away, wanting Gerda to read to her. She happily sat on Gerda's lap when she received a 'yes' to her request.

"Yes, I'll read to you," Gerda told Elsa, holding the little princess close. "What sort of story would you like?"

"'Th…tory?" Elsa asked. Gerda did sometimes tell her stories, but that wasn't what she wanted right now. She wanted Gerda to read a book to her. "No, book! No 'tory. Book," she tried her best to clarify what she wanted. Elsa spotted the book she wanted on the end table and reached for it.

"The penguin book?" Gerda asked, wanting to clarify that that was indeed what Elsa wanted.

Elsa nodded and happily scooted closer to Gerda to hear the book.

In late January, Elsa finally took her first steps, much to the adults' delight. Ironically she did that outside in the snow. Elsa's little toddler legs were somehow less clumsy under her in the snow; she barely even left footprints in the deep snow, just little indentation that were nearly invisible. And when her mother turned her back, little Elsa wiggled out of her coat and boots and flumped herself into the snow. She loved the cold…it felt like it was part of her, although she didn't know how to explain that to herself at all.

Idun was horrified when she saw what Elsa was doing. The little girl had practically buried herself in the snow and was happily rolling around in it. She was absolutely covered with it. And she didn't even look cold, although her cheeks were slightly pink. The other odd thing was that the snow in direct contact with Elsa's skin and hair wasn't melting or sticking to her, really. Elsa's face and hair were glistening with tiny snowflakes, and her blue eyes were sparkling with mischief. It was like she had really, truly come alive in the snow. Idun had no idea what to say.

Elsa gave her mother a lopsided smile as she made a snowball-with her magic, not the natural snow-and threw it at her mother. "Mama p…play!" she announced, rather pleased with herself. She scrambled to her feet and took a few steps before tripping and falling right on her backside. A second later she was back on her feet. "Mama play," she said again, although less happy this time. Was her mother mad at her?

Idun scooped the child up and held her. "Let's go inside," she said. Watching Elsa play in the snow sans coat or even shoes was disturbing to her, even though she knew it wasn't going to hurt Elsa in any way.

" _No!_ " Elsa cried. She did _not_ want to go back inside, not for ages and ages. When her mother began carrying her back towards the castle, the little girl began struggling to get down. She kicked and wiggled and finally dropped snow down the back of her mother's dress, which made Idun yelp and drop Elsa. This didn't hurt since there was plenty of soft snow on the ground, though.

"Bad girl, Elsa!" Idun scolded. "Don't do that!"

Elsa spotted her father coming outside and began burrowing into the snow to get away. If the grownups didn't like the snow, then they wouldn't follow her, right? She stayed curled up in her snow hole, her thumb firmly stuck in her mouth. Besides, the snow was oddly comforting to her, like a soft blanket.

"Agdar, Elsa just took her first steps a few minutes ago!" Idun said immediately, not wanting to get Agdar mad at her little girl. While Idun wasn't happy with Elsa dropping snow down her dress and playing in the snow sans coat and shoes, she still didn't want Agdar interfering in any way. So she quickly reached into the snowy hole little Elsa had made and set her back on her feet. "Show your daddy how you can walk," she told Elsa.

Elsa gazed up at her mother, thinking carefully before obeying. She slowly toddled over to her father and hugged his leg. "El…Eltha good girl?" she asked hopefully.

Agdar hesitated before just scooping the little girl up and carrying her back inside before she could protest. "You are a very good girl for walking finally. It's about time. You are a very bad girl for playing in the snow barefoot, you crazy thing."

Elsa didn't understand why that was bad, so she said nothing. She still didn't want to go inside, but her daddy didn't seem particularly angry with her, just annoyed, so she stayed still and didn't start wiggling. But she did not relax; her big blue eyes gazed intently at her daddy, hoping he wouldn't start getting all angry at her again.

 **A/N: Next chapter coming soon, although I'm focusing more on Take Charge for now, so updates probably won't be as consistent.:)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing.:)**

 ***gasp* What is this, a new chapter about little Elsa?! after almost 6 months?! Why yes, yes it is.:) Sorry for the l-o-n-g wait!**

 **theblindwriter95-That's a great idea, actually.:) I can't do it right now, but maybe in the future.**

 **Elsa Tomago-I'm doing Christmas part of next chapter, and Elsa is a little older now, so she'll actually be a bit more interested in her presents.:) I wrote the other chapter that way on purpose since Elsa was not interested in her presents and just wanted to play with the paper.:P Agdar is a terrible father and you're right, he shouldn't say things like that to her.:/ Don't forget, Elsa _does_ think Agdar doesn't like her and _isn't_ confident when she's older...because she's been hearing that sort of mess for years. When she's little like in this story, she's fine. She sort of knows that her father thinks her magic is bad, but she doesn't understand why and so doesn't pay any attention.**

 **Olivia O'Neil-Yep, she is!:) Elsa is little enough here that she snaps back easily. I see her happy, not-emotionally-hurt self as maybe a bit shy and quiet, but perfectly fine and willing to cause mischief.:)**

 **IndyGirl89-Little Elsa really needs some better parents, that's what. She IS cute and funny.:)**

 **BellaCullen931-Thank you:)**

 **Mandy-No, I didn't forget. I'm sorry for the wait.:/ I like writing little Elsa-she's cute and mischievous and she isn't all sad and scared, either. She's just a little kid.:) There should be several more chapters after this but it won't be as long as, say, Secret Passages. I like making everything connect because...logic.:P**

 **ImpVarjack61-Little Elsa is just so cute, and just...yeah.:)**

 **Guests asking for updates...I am sorry but I've been very busy and just give me a chance. Even if I take forever, I'll get to them eventually.:P**

 **On to the story!**

As little Elsa grew better at walking without tripping or falling, she also became more and more adept at doing and making stronger and bigger things with her magic. All through the winter, she loved going outside to play in the snow. It was like the cold weather energized her somehow and made her feel braver, too.

Once she made a big ramp out in the snow, partly from the natural snow and partly from her own magic, and proceeded to roll down it over and over. This activity was put to a stop when Idun saw what she was doing; she was worried the toddler would hurt herself. Idun had noticed that little Elsa seemed to 'calculate the risk' a bit before doing ridiculous things like that, but she wasn't two years old yet-would not be until July-and Idun was not going to trust Elsa's instincts on such things.

As the months passed and little Elsa grew, her magic clearly grew stronger, along with her speech. She remained quiet most of the time, but she got her slight lisp on her s's and th's much better when she did choose to speak. Right after her second birthday, Elsa's parents took her camping for the first time near (what was to little Elsa) a big pond. Elsa's little toddler legs quickly grew tired with all the walking, and Idun ended up carrying her most of the way since Agdar wouldn't hold her. (Elsa fell asleep in her mother's arms.)

Once Idun was sure Elsa was sleeping, she turned to Agdar with a frown. "Agdar, I don't mind carrying Elsa, but why won't you hold her anymore? She's not even being naughty or anything," Idun pointed out. When Agdar just pursed his lips and said nothing, Idun scowled. "Don't tell me you're _scared_ of a two-year-old! Agdar, I think Elsa deserves some hugs from her daddy. She loves you."

"She may be cute now, but what's going to happen once she's older? Idun, that…those powers of hers are already so much stronger now than they were last year at this time. It's not just snow and frost and a little ice now-she makes a _lot_ of ice in one go sometimes. The other day her whole crib was frozen nearly solid. How many times has she frozen her juice or milk by now because she thinks it's funny? And I don't want you nursing her anymore. That…that thin-girl might hurt you somehow without even trying to." Agdar gave little Elsa an annoyed look.

Idun glanced at Elsa to make sure she was still asleep before replying. " _Elsa is not a thing!_ I heard what you almost called her! And I will nurse my baby daughter as long as I please, thank you very much. I'm sure she'll stop soon anyway, since she's getting a bit big for that anyway. Elsa won't hurt me. I know she won't," Idun said firmly. "Agdar, Elsa _never_ makes mistakes with her…her weird abilities unless she's mad or upset. She's not dangerous. What's dangerous is other people finding out what's wrong with her, that's all." She shifted Elsa in her arms so Agdar could see the little girl's sleeping face. "Look at her. Do you really, honestly think little Elsa looks dangerous?"

Agdar sighed. "No. She looks like she's getting sunburned." That was true. Elsa's pale face was getting pink, as were her arms, despite the fact the Idun had purposely put a wide-brimmed hat on her to keep that from happening. "Idun, I admit Elsa is just a sweet little kid, but she _is_ dangerous-or is capable of being so-whether we like it or not. She's like an icy explosive waiting to be set off. I…I don't want her around, and yet I don't want to get rid of her, either."

"Just what did you want to do with her then?" Idun asked, standing off to the side while Agdar began setting up their tent.

"I don't know. At the very least, we need another baby, in case something happens with Elsa."

Idun glanced down at Elsa, who appeared still asleep clutching her blue stuffed bear, and just smiled. "Well, if we did that, at least Elsa could have a playmate. She'll be lonely if she's the only royal child…she won't have anyone to play with. She could have a little sister or brother."

"Sis-ter?" Elsa's curious voice sounded questioning and sleepy. She didn't know what a sister or a brother were. "Mama, Lu," she added, holding her bear out. Elsa had _meant_ to name her bear 'Blue', but she'd accidentally said 'Lu' at first and then promptly decided she liked that better.

"No, you keep your bear," Idun told the toddler as she set her down. When Elsa said the same thing again, Idun sighed and took the toy. She hadn't particularly wanted Elsa to take that stuffed toy with her-Elsa would be awfully upset if it got ruined or dirty-but the little girl had insisted. Idun put the bear in her bag and went to help Agdar finish with the tent.

Elsa eagerly toddled over to her father and picked up one of the tent pegs. She watched what her father was doing closely and then went to the opposite side of the tent. She needed a tool thing to bang it in like her daddy did, but she didn't see another one. After a moment's frustrated thought, Elsa simply made a hammer-shaped piece of thin, flimsy ice…and then immediately discarded it, somehow sensing it wasn't strong enough. The second time, it came out solid, but it wasn't the right shape. This the little girl also tossed aside. Elsa flumped down on the ground in frustration, but then reached for her original creation. It _was_ the right shape…and her second creation was the right material. She just needed to combine the two.

Now Elsa easily created a third hammer, this one both solid ice and the correct shape. She smiled proudly as she stood up and began trying to pound the tent peg into the ground. When the peg wouldn't go in, she scowled and began pounding at it harder in frustration. Soon there was an angry sheen of ice spreading beneath her feet. It crackled, and she stomped on it, which just made it thicker.

Elsa backed up in confusion, leaving the mess of ice on the ground. Papa would be mad at her. And why did stomping on the ice just make more? _Go 'way, ice._ As her anger gave way to pure curiosity, the ice obeyed and completely disappeared. The issue with the peg forgotten, she dropped her ice-hammer and went over to the pond. Just as she was about to go right in, she felt someone pick her up, and she reached toward the pond hopefully. "Li-qid ice!" she announced.

Agdar carried the little girl back to the tent, set her down, and just stared at her in surprise. Elsa was a toddler. She was not supposed to know what 'liquid' meant yet, let alone with the substance connection with water to ice and vice versa. Water _was_ 'liquid ice', in a way, even if calling ice 'solid water' was more accurate in his mind. Suddenly Agdar felt something else besides…resentment towards the child. He actually felt a bit proud of her. _Elsa is smart. If she can just learn to keep those weird abilities of hers out of sight, or if Idun and I can figure out how to fix her…she'll be a fine ruler when she's older._ Agdar didn't give Elsa a hug, but he did give her little shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Elsa beamed. Her daddy was happy with her! She put her arms around Agdar's leg and gave him a hug herself. Elsa _loved_ hugs-they made her feel safe and happy. Papa should like to have a hug too then, shouldn't he?

Idun gave her husband an _I told you so_ look. _Elsa loves us-I know she does. I don't want to hurt her, even if she's…not normal. She's still ours._ Elsa was clearly delighted; she continued hugging her father's leg until Idun had scooped her up. "Would you like to go over to the pond?" she asked Elsa.

"'Ond," Elsa echoed. Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief as her mother set her down near the water, still holding her by the hand. What would happen if she tried to freeze the pond water? Maybe she could freeze the whole thing! That would be fun.

Idun frowned when she noticed just what Elsa seemed to be planning. The little girl was clearly focused on one thing and one thing only; she had her free hand reaching for the water, and the blue glowing sparks that came with her magic were beginning to float around her little hand. "No! Bad Elsa!" Idun exclaimed quickly. "Do _not_ ice the pond!"

Elsa's happy expression disappeared as Idun carried her away from the water. "No! No, no!" she cried. "Mine. Elsa…ice! Li-qid ice. No…no, no!" The little girl wasn't sure how to express herself completely, but that was _not_ fair. She was not going to hurt the pond. She would reverse her magic when she was done. So there.

"Be quiet, Elsa," Idun said firmly. _Elsa, please shush up. I don't want Agdar fussing at you and being mean to you again…_ "Here, take your Lu bear," Idun said quickly, hoping that would distract Elsa and make her be quiet again.

"Lu," Elsa said agreeably, although she still knew deep in her heart that her magic was _not_ bad. Papa just didn't understand that and he made Mama not like it either.

That evening, Agdar told his wife about the little ice hammer things he'd found outside the tent that afternoon. "Idun, she made an actual _tool_ out of ice," he repeated in a both worried and awed tone. "It looked like she'd done an experiment to figure out how to do it, too. The usable hammer looked identical to the real one I had been using. She managed to copy it, right down to the big dent on the head. If she can do that when she's only two years old, what is going to happen when she's older?"

* * *

That fall, little Elsa attended her first official royal ball-party type event. Gerda made her a frilly blue velvet dress with ruffles all over, and tied black satin ribbons in the princess's platinum hair. At two years old, Elsa wasn't sure what she thought of a party thing, since she didn't know what it would be like. She was just excited to wear her pretty blue dress. She wiggled impatiently while Gerda tied her sash in back. "Fancy," Elsa said happily, her little toddler fingers patting the soft velvet.

"Yes, princess, fancy," Gerda replied with a smile. "Can you put on your shoes?"

Elsa plopped down on the floor, put on one shoe, and then stuck out her other foot. "Help," she informed Gerda. Then, on a sudden impulse, she put tiny icy snowflakes on the toes of her black ballet flats. "Fancy," she repeated proudly.

Gerda sighed and just scooped the little girl up. If she let Elsa leave icy decorations on her shoes, both she and Elsa would be in a lot of trouble. "How about we save magic for later?" Gerda suggested gently. "Magic is a secret at the moment."

Elsa made a face, but she nodded and put her finger over her lips. "Shh." She pulled the little snowflakes off her shoes and they disappeared.

"Thank you, Princess Elsa." Gerda hugged her close before setting her down. "You are a very good girl. All ready now, so let's go find your parents."

* * *

"No," Elsa said to some grown-up she had never seen before in her life a while later. The little girl had almost immediately decided she did _not_ like this party thing. Everyone kept patting her on the head and saying she was so well-behaved and it was noisy and she wanted to go upstairs or outside now. She had finally had enough now, and she slapped the unknown grownup's hand away from her. That was _her_ space. She'd heard her daddy say she was technically second in authority only to him, so that meant she could tell someone not to touch her, right?

The lady drew back in surprise as the crown princess ran off the dais as fast as her little legs could carry her, and then abruptly turned around and came right back, now mostly hiding behind King Agdar's throne. The little girl hadn't seemed to be the bratty type, really. She had seemed uncomfortable and so ordered a 'no, stop that' the best way she knew how. "I'm sorry to bother you, Queen Idun, but I believe I may have made Princess Elsa upset," the lady said quickly.

Idun turned to see Elsa nearly hiding behind the throne, just her blue eyes and a bit of platinum hair peeking out. She was relieved Elsa didn't seem to have done anything with her magic whatsoever, and she quickly picked her daughter up.

Elsa hid her face in her mother's shoulder.

"She's a bit shy," Idun apologized to the lady with a polite smile.

"Maybe it's just too many people for her. I think Princess Elsa is just darling," the lady said honestly.

"T'ank 'ou," little Elsa said. Idun had set her down, and she peeked out at the party once more before hiding her face in her mother's skirt. She rather wanted to go to sleep now, but she would be good. So there.

 **A/N: So this is pretty much the first time the 'public' has seen Elsa since her christening. And she's two now, so she's better at using her magic.:)**

 **And she still doesn't care for big party type events.:P**

 **Next chapter coming soon! (as in before Christmas, at least:P) :)**


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